Vol. 132
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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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Vol. 130
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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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Vol. 114
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Skinny Lister
Norwich Arts Centre
Saturday 6th December 2025
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SKINNY LISTER – NORWICH – LIVE REVIEW
📷Denis Gorbatov
It’s December, everything is festive, and Norwich folk in search of merriment need look no further than the Arts Centre because you can forget about the big red man for now – Skinny Lister are coming to town!
Word is obviously out because this fantastic former church is fully sold out and everyone packs in early to receive the everlasting gift of live music.
CLAUDIA KATE
Opening the show this evening is singer-songwriter Claudia Kate who claims this as a hometown show given her roots in the area. With her genuine charm and insightful tunes Kate is quickly able to endear herself to the townsfolk of Norwich.
With the audience onside, the likes of ‘Fat’ and ‘Stop the World’ are able to elicit real emotion in the room before ‘BIG TALK, little girl’ and set closer ‘Angry At Me’ stir even more belief. Kate sings of the personal and the political in a way that understands that they are often the same thing.
There is a wisdom and maturity in Kate’s songwriting which creates an air of confidence in her message and importantly in her talents. The reception provided by the audience tonight only backs that up.
VANDOLIERS
Main support for this tour comes from Texan country punks Vandoliers, who burst onto the stage with a passionate onslaught of their highly contagious musical blend. Punk attitude and country swagger merge into something uniquely engaging and from the first chords of ‘Life Behind Bars’ onwards their set is a blissful blur.
The six-piece are lively, and the songs are singalong inducing… so they fit in very well supporting Skinny Lister. The fans in the venue, many clearly already familiar with Vandoliers, all clearly think so too, and the atmosphere tonight just continues to grow in togetherness.
Frontwoman Jenni Rose is able to harness the good feelings in the venue to orchestrate their performance through a career-spanning set of enjoyable alt-country fusion. Rose then brings their set home by leading the audience through a big old sing-song – ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’.
SKINNY LISTER
The changeovers are all pretty swift this evening and that ensures that the spirit of merriment never wanes during the show. The arrival of Skinny Lister is therefore met with much joy, and the chaos quickly ensues with ‘Wanted’ and ‘Set Us Straight’.
Whether romping through punkier tracks like ‘Tragedy In A Minor’ or serenading us with softer singalongs ala ‘Colours’, Skinny Lister have the audience in the palm of their hands every step of the way.
Even with an aborted passage of the flagon during ‘Drinking Song’, the audience are still made to feel a part of the show. Singer Lorna Thomas steps into the crowd for a series of arm wrestling contests during ‘Arm Wrestling in Dresden’ and frontman Dan Heptinstall barters with the crowd for requests leading to a beautiful rendition of ‘Embers’.
Skinny Lister really do have an enate knack for making a sold out concert feel more like a close family gathering. A particularly drunken one where everyone has the best time and ends up singing arm-in-arm to their favourite songs.
Well, that’s how tonight ends anyway with Claudia Kate and Vandoliers joining in on final song, ‘Six Whiskies’, and the entire venue simply living their best lives. That’s the power of Skinny Lister and as you leave the venue and head out into the festive displays of the city you can’t help but reflect on what a magical evening that just was!
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Vol. 113
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Lacuna Coil
Epic Studios, Norwich
Sunday 23rd November 2025
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📸Denis Gorbatov
LACUNA COIL – NORWICH – LIVE REVIEW
Back in February, Italian metal favourites Lacuna Coil released their tenth studio album ‘Sleepless Empire’. Now as the year reaches its climax, UK fans are able to hear this songs come to life on stage.
The bands UK tour kickstarted in Southampton following a European run and tonight they arrive in a wet and dreary Norwich. Playing host is Epic Studios which continues to impress as a modern and spacious venue.
NONPOINT
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The show is a sell out and the venue is already full as our special guests Nonpoint hit the stage. The Floridians made their mark in the early 2000’s and are also ten albums deep into their career.
The group are given a solid forty-five minutes to play with and deliver a good account of their catalogue of songs for those in the audience that are already familiar. The delivery of those songs is as passionate as ever from a band who clearly just love doing what they do.
What they do this evening is bring sunshine state vibes to autumnal Norfolk! Their heavy groove is enticing enough to get the fans warmed up and the likes of ‘In the Air Tonight’ and set closer ‘Bullet With a Name’ limber up some voices also.
Frontman Elias Soriano repeats a few times that the band will return to the UK next year and with the ongoing resurgence of love for the nu-metal era, Nonpoint once again seem to have a point to prove!
LACUNA COIL
Soon enough the lights go down again and it’s our headliners Lacuna Coil who are warmly welcomed to the well-prepared stage. With the venues dexterousness allowing bands to utilise the built-in video screens, Lacuna Coil embrace the opportunity with some really stunning visuals.
As with every show at Epic Studios, this is a nice addition that adds extra layers to the performance. But… it is very much the performance itself from the band that is so engaging this evening.
Again, you can tell the band enjoy performing and that makes a real positive difference. Watching vocalists Andrea Ferro and Cristina Scabbia intertwining is mesmerising and is central to the uniqueness of the band. Equally however the fun being had by the other three members as they stalk the stage is just as noteworthy.
The key feature of the show tonight though is ‘Sleepless Empire’ itself with eight of the records eleven tracks aired. In a nineteen song setlist that represents 42% of the set and is truly an enormous vote of confidence in the album considering the vast range of material now in their arsenal.
This faith is well placed as the album is superb, and those sentiments are echoed by the responses to these tracks this evening. In particular ‘Gravity’ and ‘Oxygen’ are standout moments in the show tonight and ‘Never Dawn’ is given the prestige of the final song of the evening.
Whilst there is a good mix of tracks presented from the rest of their albums, it is ‘Sleepless Empire’ that shines tonight. This is clearly a good time to catch the band with fresh and exciting material and an experienced live capability combining to great effect.
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