Words and photos by: Anna Hatfield
It’s the 24th of February, and Electric Bristol is filling up with people trying to beat those February blues. Luckily for them, the Big Special gig was just what the doctor ordered.
Good Health, Good Wealth
Armed with a synth, a guitar, and more than their fair share of charisma, Good Health, Good Wealth opened up the night beautifully. Despite the lack of a left arm due to a broken collar bone, lead vocalist Bruce delivered an equally good performance to when I saw them back in 2025. Full of charming magnetism, poignant politics, and well-crafted lyrics, this duo was the perfect opening to a very special night.
Gans
Next up were Gans who I’d not seen since they played the basement at Attitude fest back in 2024. They’ve come a long way since then, with an elevated stage presence, crowd participation and a new member. With the addition of flute and sax, and some of the catchiest alt- rock songs in the business right now, these guys definitely got the crowd going for the main event.
Big Special
Big Special may only be a 2-piece, but their stage presence filled the room, and then some, from beginning to end. Filling one side of the stage was drummer Callum Moloney, and taking up the rest of the space (a grotesque amount, some might say) was vocalist Joe Hicklin.
Their debut album, Postindustrial Hometown Blues, made such a lasting impression on me that it remains one of my favourite albums ever made. I’m not the only one who admired this duo’s first album, as Rough Trade showcased it as one of their albums of the year. Since then, they made the list the following year for their second album, National Average, and they are on their way to producing more top-quality music with their latest single, Sluglife.
They opened with the first track on their debut album, Black Country Gothic, which showcased not only the band’s punchy post-punk lyrics but Joe’s fantastic, contrasting singing voice. Straight out of the gate, they were already demonstrating beautiful musicianship and equally enthralling stage presence.
Big Special continued in a similarly vocally and visually gothic theme as they moved through their high-intensity set. However, there was a lull in the dancing crowd as the duo talked about their friend they had recently lost to cancer. A raffle was being held to raise money for his family, and the following song, Dragged Up a Hill (and Thrown Down the Other Side), was dedicated to James. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one wiping away tears after that powerful performance, and the sold-out venue erupted in cheers well after the song had finished.
Before the band left for an encore, they played a crowd favourite, perfect for piquing the energy for a round of “one more song” and ensuring smiling faces on the band’s return to the stage. Shithouse went down a treat with the whole building finding catharsis in shouting the words back, matching the energy of the equally angry and nihilistic song.
It’s not often that I hear a song called Shithouse and expect to be in tears by the end of the show, but, for the second time that night, I found myself welling up with emotion as the duo played their last song, waved to their adoring fans, and left the stage. They came full circle and finished with the closing 3 tracks on their first album, Trees, For the Birds and Dig. The penultimate track, being almost exclusively spoken word, allowed the whole encore to flow seamlessly to the end of the show. Despite my tears, I left that venue with a smile on my face and an overwhelming feeling that the future of the music industry was in safe hands.
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