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Newton Faulkner

Newton Faulkner

The Waterfront, Norwich

Monday 13th October 2025

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NEWTON FAULKNER – NORWICH – LIVE REVIEW

Last month the incomparable Newton Faulkner shared his eighth studio album, ‘Octopus’, and now it’s time for him to take these new songs out on the road. Tonight, at The Waterfront in Norwich is the first date of a new headline tour from the virtuoso.

Much of Faulkner’s recent touring has seen him performing dual sets without any support, but tonight we have not one but two opening acts to get the diligent crowd warmed up.

MARIE NAFFAH

The first of which is London-based songwriter Marie Naffah who is accompanied this evening by her producer Robin Breeze on guitar. The duo are a gentle easement into the evenings festivities and they are able to use their undoubtable abilities to hypnotise the audience.

Their performance is full of songs about love and the likes of ‘For You’ and ‘Gloria’ ensure that their short time on stage is memorable. Naffah tonight is mesmeric with both her charm and her talent, much like an early days Mr. Faulkner.

NATI

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Next up on the stage is a redheaded alt-pop guitarist. Nope, not Newton but NATI., who brings a little bit of chaotic humour and the rousing songwriting of a modern day Newton Faulkner!

Two wise choices as support then and as with Naffah earlier, NATI. is able to very quickly engage the audience and soon has them singing and clapping along. Her brand of songwriting is a lot angrier than Naffah’s and the atmosphere in the venue accordingly ramps up a notch or two.

A fantastic cover of Alanis Morisette’s biting ‘You Oughta Know’, along with the likes of ‘JOAN’ and ‘5 More Minutes’ are delivered with refreshing candour. The sense that the audience wanted more of NATI. as she ends her set was palpable and that’s always a good sign.

NEWTON FAULKNER

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There isn’t long until Newton Faulkner takes the stage. There is little fanfare as Faulkner starts up his set. He isn’t the classic showman musician, but his charisma is ever enchanting. He ultimately lets his music do the talking, but he’s also pretty adept at entertaining the crowd with his wit and musings.

Our two support acts truly did represent and the yin and the yang of what makes Faulkner special and tonight he structures his setlist to gradually escalate in intensity. Starting off with the likes of ‘Gone in the Morning’, ‘Finger Tips’ and ‘I Need Something’, his much-loved cover of Massive Attack’s ‘Teardrop’ then marks an escalation in the set.

The middle section of the set brings more of Faulkner’s signature orchestration of audience participation and some more fan favourites including the obligatory singalong to ‘Dream Catch Me’.

Faulkner’s new album, ‘Octopus’ is his noisiest work yet and the set builds to a crescendo of new music. The final run seeing him deliver ‘You Make It Look So Easy’, ‘What Took You So Long’, ‘Alright Alright Alright’ and ‘Snakes & Ladders’.

The set ends with as little fanfare as it began, Faulkner simply thanking the crowd and that’s that. Tonight, hasn’t been a night of clichéd tropes though, it has been a great evening of organic entertainment centred around songwriters.

Indeed, all three performers have been a delight, and the uniquely talented Faulkner remains as absorbing as ever!

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Kids In Glass Houses

Kids In Glass Houses

Waterfront, Norwich

Wednesday 6th November 2024

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📸 (c) Denis Gorbatov / Full Pelt Music

KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES – NORWICH – LIVE REVIEW

It’s a damp and dreary Wednesday night in November, so where else would self-respecting music fans in Norwich be other than the vital Waterfront venue in the heart of the city?

After all, there is a bumper line-up on offer this evening with reformed headliners Kids In Glass Houses bringing with them not one but two of the best young bands on the circuit!

MOUTH CULTURE

The first of those is Leicester’s Mouth Culture hot on the heels of their latest EP, ‘Whatever the Weather’ and an appearance on our own The Full Pelt Music Podcast!

This is a group who really sound like they are coming into their own, and even with a short time on stage tonight, it’s clear that the audience appreciate what they’ve seen. With a throwback groove with a modern energy, the band are undeniably on a pathway to much bigger things.

HIMALAYAS

Our second opening group HIMALAYAS are a band that many have felt are on that same pathway. The band are now dropping new music following the release of their 2023 debut album, ‘From Hell to Here’, and it’s recent single, ‘What If…?’, that stands out most tonight.

The band play hard and fast this evening and certainly seem to have added a little extra edge to their performance over the last few years. Whether that added impetus will keep them on an upwards trajectory or not, only time will tell but for sure they remain a viable proposition when looking for an engaging live act.

KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES

It’s soon time for our headliners this evening to take to the stage and having returned with a nostalgic run celebrating their superb debut album, ‘Smart Casual’, Kids In Glass Houses are now fully embracing their second coming.

How does a band do so without falling fowl of becoming nothing but another nostalgia act? Release new music of course! This tour celebrates their recently released fifth studio album, the flamboyant ‘Pink Flamingo’.

This record in and of itself if a nod to times gone by with its 80’s aesthetic but also feels like a big step up in ambition from a band who perhaps feel like they have nothing to lose. ‘Theme from Pink Flamingo’ and ‘Change Your Mind’ kickstart proceedings this evening and show a band with renewed zip and swagger.

Fan favourites ‘Give Me What I Want’ and ‘Dance All Night’ then ramp things up a notch or two before a couple more new tracks, ‘Rothko Painting’ and ‘Vulnerable’ again emphasise that this is a Kids In Glass Houses enjoying themselves once more.

That is perhaps the overall takeaway from the evening, that after a decade away this group of five friends are back on stage doing what they were meant to be doing.

The likes of ‘Peace’, ‘Easy Tiger’ and ‘Saturday’ all serve as reminders of the impact the band had first time around, and as ‘Matters At All’ concludes a very enjoyable evening fans will be left to hope that ‘Pink Flamingo’ is just the start of round two with Kids In Glass Houses!

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Pale Waves

Pale Waves

The Waterfront, Norwich

Thursday 3rd October 2024

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PALE WAVES – NOrwich – live review

If the length of the queue outside The Waterfront in Norwich is anything to go by, then anticipation is high for the opening night of the ‘Smitten’ tour!

Hot on the heels of the release of their fourth album, Pale Waves are back on the road and many shows on this run are sold out as fans clamour to see how these charming love songs translate to the stage.

SWIM SCHOOL

Before then however, the packed venue is treated to an opening act making waves of their own. swim school are one of those bands that have built some good early momentum and now need to ensure that they capitalise on their potential.

Despite a rather polite Norwich crowd this evening, you are still able to see the impression that the trio leave on the crowd. Singer Alice Johnson quips that they have been referred to in the past as a “sh*t version of Pale Waves” before adding “hopefully we aren’t so sh*t anymore”. Tonight the likes of ‘give me a reason why’ and ‘see red’ certainly dispel any such thoughts. Instead you are left further rooting for the band to succeed!

swim school – ‘BORED’
PALE WAVES

That concept is evidently ingrained into the fanbase of Pale Waves. Again, as they arrive onstage you can see and feel the special connection they share with their audience. It’s a beautiful thing to witness and even when kicking off with two new tracks, ‘Perfume’ and ‘Not a Love Song’, the crowd sings back every single word.

‘There’s a Honey’ and ‘Change’ then take it up a notch or two and by the time Pale Waves deliver rarer number ‘Drive’ the symbiosis between fan and artist is complete. This remains extant throughout the rest of the performance and ensures an uplifting atmosphere is enjoyed by all.

We spoke in our recent review of ‘Smitten’ about the prolificacy of Pale Waves, and as the set progresses the sheer amount of standout tracks that the band now possess is another testament to this.

Particularly noteworthy is that the new tracks can undeniably hold their own amongst old favourites ‘Television Romance’, ‘Eighteen’, ‘Easy’ and ‘She’s My Religion’. Finally, an encore of ‘Glasgow’ and ‘Jealousy’ is more than enough to send the audience back home happy.

It has been an engaging night with both acts delivering on the promise of the evening. Pale Waves are operating at a consistently high level across their studio and stage outputs and swim school are hot on their heels!

Pale Waves – ‘Perfume’

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Nova Twins

Nova Twins

Waterfront, Norwich

Friday 17th February 2023

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NOVA TWINS – NORWICH – LIVE REVIEW

Tonight is a sell out and anticipation is high for one of rocks brightest prospects as Nova Twins commence their UK Tour at the Waterfront in Norwich! This was already a hot ticket, but the added attention the band received at the Brits recently has raised the bar further.

Entering the venue, you know full well that this will likely be the last time Nova Twins are playing venues this small. A rocket has been strapped to their backs and rightly so, because they fitted it themselves. Everything coming their way has come from their own DIY ethics, their own creativity and their own natural talents.

Fittingly, the band has selected two more acts that fit that bill to open on this tour. Up first are Uninvited, who on their showing tonight will be invited to many more shows in the future. Not previously on our radar, they very much are now after an assured and intense opening set. Quickly winning the packed crowd over with their blistering pace, keep an eye on this band, we certainly will be!

Next up are a band further down their career path as it were. Opening slots with My Chemical Romance last summer may have placed Witch Fever on many people’s maps, but the group has been making a noise for a little while now with a steady stream of increasingly impressive singles.

Tonight, they are clearly playing to a crowd in the know and that creates a fantastic atmosphere as the band demonstrate the raw power that has been the base of their early work. The likes of ‘Bloodlust’, ‘Congregation’ and ‘Blessed Be Thy’ sound absolutely massive in this relatively small venue and you again would expect Witch Fever to be moving on to headlining these sized rooms in the near future.

WATCH ‘CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER’ ON YOUTUBE
Nova Twins – ‘Choose Your Fighter’

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Nova Twins have quickly established themselves on the scene through two very well received albums and a string of support slots and festival appearances. Having caught them play a number of these shorter sets, our main question tonight is how do the band translate over a full headline set. The answer, as was expected, is very well indeed!

Starting off with the likes of ‘Fire & Ice’ and ‘Cleopatra’, the band quickly asserts their ferocious energy on the stage. Audience participation comes naturally and at times it feels like the band and audience are in fact one with each other.

The likes of ‘Taxi’ and ‘Play Fair’ still go hard and the likes of ‘Sleep Paralysis’ simply leave you in awe of the majesty emanating from the stage. Even we opened this review by calling Nova Twins prospects, but that isn’t the case, no, this band are the present and they are ready to take over the world!

An encore of ‘Antagonist’, ‘Undertaker’ and ‘Choose Your Fighter’ is just the cherry on top of the cake. Tonight has shown the sheer quality of new rock acts out there at the moment, with all three bands clearly set for bigger things.  

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Pulled Apart By Horses

Pulled Apart By Horses

Waterfront Studio, Norwich

Saturday 15th October 2022

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PULLED APART BY HORSES – NORWICH – LIVE REVIEW

All 📸 (c) Denis Gorbatov / Full Pelt Music

Perennial contenders Pulled Apart By Horses have just released the fifth studio album of their near fifteen year career. ‘Reality Cheques’ features a more streamlined sound and tonight in Norwich we get to see how that translates on stage.

MAGNOLIA PHOTOS

Opening the early evening show at the Waterfront Studio are local newcomers Magnolia. It’s difficult to find much about the band online and even harder to pigeonhole them into any genre.

Describing themselves as psychedelic post-punk, there are certainly elements of those genres present in amongst their experimental sound. There are also many others as killer riffs segue into moments of pure randomness. There are times of brilliance and times of dreadfulness in their short set. Only a young act, there is something here, I’m just not sure what it is yet!

THE HOWLERS PHOTOS

Next up are a band clearly further along their discovery path. Londoners The Howlers recently released new EP, ‘Further Down the Line’ and songs from that record are highlights tonight.

The group own the stage like they are industry veterans and the crowd are left in awe of a top quality support slot. These are the shows where newer acts can win new fans and build their audiences and the likes of ‘The Boy I Was Before’ and ‘El Dorado’ will have done some excellent building work tonight.

PULLED APART BY HORSES PHOTOS

Finally, our headliners Pulled Apart By Horses take to the stage and from the first angry guitar strum the intimate audience are raucous! To say that both band and crowd are up for it tonight would be an understatement and that makes for a fantastic atmosphere on this Saturday night.

New album, ‘Reality Cheques’, naturally features heavily in the set list for Pulled Apart By Horses and as they open with ‘Pipe Dream’ and ‘First World Problems’ it’s clear that the album passes the live test. The new songs sound massive as do older tracks such as ‘The Haze’ and ‘The Big What If’.

During a cost of living crisis, small shows such as this are superb value for money and our headliners deliver an energetic and engaged display from start to finish – something often found lacking with arena shows.

As Pulled Apart By Horses close their set with fan favourites ‘V.E.N.O.M.’, ‘I Punched A Lion In The Throat’ and ‘High Five, Swan Dive, Nose Dive’, they reaffirm themselves a standout live act and rubberstamp the fact that five albums in they remain a creative force.

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