Words and by: Ryan Hill
A rainy Saturday at The Louisiana brought together an excellent night of local music. South West bands Chase the Wild and Haytor came as support acts for the EP release night for alt-indie band, The Pavilion. There was a warm atmosphere around the venue with the band’s family, friends, as well as fresh sets of ears filling out the venue, ready for the night of electric music ahead. This night marked the release of The Pavilion’s new EP, Faces In The Crowd, a hard-hitting and masterfully crafted collection of 4 songs that had the perfect evening to go alongside their release.
Chase the Wild
Starting the night at The Louisiana was Bath and Bristol-based band, Chase the Wild, bringing a great energy as the first band of the night. They played some new songs, some deep cuts and a brilliant cover of one of Ocean Alley’s new singles, Tangerine, showing off the band’s influence and love for the Australian indie scene in the most perfect way. You can see how the band have mastered these songs in their performance, with each element of the music being played in a way where the band can have fun and move around onstage while still nailing every note and beat. For the last song, the band performed their biggest song yet, Communication which was released in March of last year and was followed by other singles such as Slide Away. These songs feature dreamy guitar chords with a funky bass and hard vocals that definitely got the crowd moving, proving they are a strong presence in the Bath and Bristol scene.
Haytor
The second band of the night came out with a bang; the indie-rock band from the Southwest, Haytor, came out to mark the occasion. Coming from a great last year of breaking through with festival slots and being featured on the air on BBC Introducing, Haytor are a band that knows what they’re doing, getting the crowd ready for some rock and roll. Their set kicked off with lots of jumping and emphatic guitar playing. Featuring songs such as their summer release, Be Somebody, performed with immense passion, with a rich vocal performance paired with energy-filled drum and guitar playing, made for an excellent penultimate act before The Pavilion. Their set ended with their newest single, Need To Know (When You’re Coming Home), an emotional song performed superbly with strength and emotion by the band to close off their electric set.
The Pavilion
It was time for the band of the evening, Bristol-based alt-indie rock band, The Pavilion, to put their mark on their release gig for their new EP, Faces In The Crowd. They played through the new tracks alongside some previous releases and a fierce cover of July by Wunderhorse, who have recently boomed in popularity over their last album, Midas. The Pavilion also covered Gas Panic by Oasis, a perfect fit for the band’s sound! With ominous guitar riffs and aggressive vocals, The Pavilion really showcased their energetic style.
During the set, Rhys Smedley (Vocals and Guitar) jumped into the crowd for a warm acoustic performance, which brought such an endearing moment to the set. The crowd provided the lighting by shining phone torches as Rhys stood in the middle before effortlessly transitioning back into the aggressive and jumpy performances of the rest of the set. Bouncing off drum kits and fiercely playing to the crowd, this was a performance filled with passion and love for their music. So many epic moments came from this show, and it truly was a show where The Pavilion left their mark at the famous and historic venue of The Louisiana.
The Pavilion’s new EP, Faces In The Crowd, is out now on all major streaming platforms.