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Live Reviews

Calva Louise

Waterfront Studio, Norwich

Monday 20th April 2026

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Calva louise – norwich – live review

📷Denis Gorbatov

For fans engrossed in the world of Calva Louise, their current headline tour is a welcome opportunity to immerse themselves even further.

Tonight sees the second night of the tour arrive at the Waterfront Studio in Norwich and fans fill the venue early in anticipation of a big night of high-octane modern rock goodness.

KNIFE BRIDE

The evening begins with the arrival of the tour’s special guests KNIFE BRIDE. The Brighton quartet are quick to raise energy levels and it’s clear that many within the venue are already familiar with what the group has to offer.

Electric riffs, hearty hooks and enough pop elegance to enable you to sing those big choruses whilst banging your head and losing your mind. With new EP, ‘sorry about the plague’ out shortly, the likes of ‘crucify’ and ‘alone at the altar’ sound huge this evening and showcase a band in the process of taking a giant leap forward.

It’s an enthralling performance from KNIFE BRIDE with singer Mollie Clack coming across with real star power. By the time they close out their nine-song set with ‘WORTHY’, they have left everything on the stage and those in attendance know that they’ve seen a band worthy of their investment.

CALVA LOUISE

The back story of our headliners Calva Louise and how members Jess Allanic, Alizon Taho and Ben Parker assembled in the name of heavy music and heady storytelling is remarkable. Coming together from different corners of the earth to pursue their dream here in the UK, their journey is truly inspiring.

The world that they’ve built across their career thus far is thoroughly captivating and their latest album, ‘Edge of the Abyss’ really manages to bring the character of Louise to life.

What the trio achieve tonight is to further bring their world to life on an actual stage with a handcrafted set fitting of much bigger venues. This brings a grandiose feel to the performance, whilst keeping the immediate feeling of an intimate show.

Calva Louise aren’t just a theatrical delight however, and their musical talent shines tonight with ‘Edge of the Abyss’ at the heart of the setlist. Intermixing songs sung in English and Spanish, the universal language at play is kickass hard rock with a killer beat and intense delivery system.

‘Tunnel Vision’, ‘W.T.F.’, ‘Under the Skin’ and ‘Hate in Me’ represent the album incredibly well during a performance which is impossible to not become hypnotised by.

Whilst the focus is on their latest album, 2023’s ‘Over the Threshold’ record is also represented in the setlist including the big final track, ‘Oportunista’.

At the end of a stunning show, you can’t help but feel the momentum flowing through these two incredible bands. Both are evidently supremely talented and are ready to explode, so this tour has been a great chance for Norwich folk to get to experience the future of the alternative rock scene up close and personal!

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Vol. 131

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IST IST

The Waterfront, Norwich

Thursday 9th April 2026

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IST IST – NORWICH – LIVE REVIEW

Sometimes the world just seems to be against you. This must feel like one of those days for IST IST as the first date of their headline tour almost gets derailed due to a run in with the DVSA.

A long delay and an urgent van swap means that the band only make it to the venue less than an hour before the scheduled door time. The band even stating that they were minutes away from needing to cancel their date with The Waterfront here in Norwich.

THE YOUTH PLAY

Thankfully after a short delay for fans waiting outside, those doors do open and the show is good to go with our opening act The Youth Play soon arriving on stage.

‘Maybe This Was All For Us’ introduces the crowd to the set and a band with plenty to offer. Indeed, much like our headliners, The Youth Play are a band with a layered sound that makes them difficult to pigeonhole.

Their early releases have displayed a shoegazey aesthetic but with an ability to cut through with melodies akin to The Cure. This isn’t lost tonight despite the band making quite the noise during their time on stage.

Whilst it seemingly takes the crowd a little while to warm up (probably because of the extended wait in the chilly spring evening), by the time the band exit the likes of ‘Last Day On Earth’ and ‘If We Just Ever Were’ have effectively gained their respect.

IST IST

It does feel like the audience are waiting obsessively for IST IST to arrive and this is no surprise given the cultlike following that the band have cultivated since arriving just under a decade ago.

In that time, they have delivered five well received albums including their latest, ‘DAGGER’, in February. It’s that record which is centre stage this evening with the fantastic ‘I Am The Fear’ beginning their performance before ‘Warning Signs’ and ‘Burning’ settle us in.

The setlist is carefully prepared to showcase their back catalogue whilst giving ‘DAGGER’ the platform that it deserves. The album is a contender for Album of the Year and it’s delightful tonight to see these songs take flight on the live stage.

It’s a professional and concise performance from the band this evening with crowd interaction mainly revolving around their anger towards the DVSA, but it’s clear to see the fond connection that exists between band and audience.

‘The Echo’ and ‘Makes No Difference’ represent two more highlights from ‘DAGGER’ whilst the likes of ‘Fat Cats Drown in Milk’, ‘Emily’ and ‘Night’s Arm’ give their fanbase some good cuts from the past.

Previous album, ‘Light a Bigger Fire’, also gets a lot love and an encore comprising ‘Encouragement’ and ‘Stamp You Out’ ensures that the passionate fanbase is sent back into the cold night with warm hearts.

Considering how close to a disastrous cancellation we got, you can’t help but appreciate the effort put in by IST IST both in getting to the venue and then still delivering a great performance.

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Mouth Culture

Voodoo Daddy’s, Norwich

Wednesday 8th April 2026

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MOUTH CULTURE – NORWICH – LIVE REVIEW

📷Denis Gorbatov

Sometimes as a live music fan you attend a gig where for a moment time stops around you and it dawns on you that you are witnessing something special.

Those packed like sardines into Voodoo Daddy’s in Norwich this week experience one of those moments when the entire crowd understand that they are the lucky ones. After all the venue is fully sold out and the next time our headliners come to town they will almost certainly be in a much bigger room.

CRYING IN COLOUR

Voodoo Daddy’s is a throwback underground venue (literally) and is always a great setting for a hot and sweaty rock gig. Norwich is a great music city and local openers Crying In Colour typify the burgeoning music scene which is again experiencing renewed vigour.

The band bring an early energy to proceedings, and their spirit is reciprocated by the audience, many of whom already seem familiar with the band. Even those uninitiated are able to sing along to a rocked-up cover of Vance Joy’s megahit ‘Riptide’.

With a style incorporating varied influences, the band appear to have a good foundation developing as they cultivate a sound of their own. Given they only released their first single under a year ago, it will be fascinating to see the journey that they embark on.

OVERGROWN

It’s been quite the journey already for the tour’s main support act Overgrown – again quite literally as the band hail from north of the border. Hitting the road with Mouth Culture is their first proper tour and will be an experience that will assist them enormously in their formative years.

This is a band who are already garnering much attention with their five released songs all doing great numbers on the usual streaming platforms. The live realm is entirely different however so shows like tonight will be incredibly important to their development.

Clearly though on the evidence of tonight, they are quick learners! Creating a fantastic shoegazey din that swallows the venue, they are able to cut through with emotive lyrics and an engaging performance that is nearly hypnotic.

Overgrown are undoubtedly another band that need to be followed with intent!

MOUTH CULTURE

After a bit of a breather, it’s then time for our headliners Mouth Culture to take to the Voodoo Daddy’s stage which with its cage design feels like an old school ECW show. The rabid fans are almost as feral as those 90’s wrestling fans and the band have the talent necessary to harness the atmosphere in order to create that special moment in time.

Opening duo ‘On and On’ and ‘Dead In Love’ instantly showcase a band smashing through barriers and making a real statement. Musically and vocally the band sound massive and the aesthetics of the venue and passion of the crowd elevate the show to truly memorable status.

Despite not having a debut album under their belt yet, the band are able to write a setlist which is packed full of early favourites and more recent standouts. In total the band deliver sixteen tracks and play over an hour as they prove themselves capable already of delivering a value for money headline performance.

From the quicker and heavier numbers to the handful of slower more tender moments, the show flows well and maintains the buzz in the venue. There really is magic in the air this evening as well as a considerable amount of sweat!

The obvious big moments such as ‘Sharkbait’ and ‘Ratbag’ are really big, but no moment feels wasted. Indeed, when the fans exit the venue and the cooler evening air hits their faces, it’s the entire show including the supports that everybody is raving about.

The consensus amongst those in attendance undeniably being that Mouth Culture are destined for bigger things. To go back to the earlier pro wrestling analogy, fans leave lucky enough to have seen the band causing a ruckus in the world of extreme, knowing that in a few years they will be headlining WrestleMania!

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Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 129

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Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 128

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Categories
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Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 127

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Categories
Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 126

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Categories
Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 125

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