Words and photos by: Lucy Williamson
It’s a cold winter’s evening, and fans are gathering for a night of feel-good music and sun-soaked vibes from “the happiest band of Earth”, The 502s, and singer-songwriter Jamie McIntyre, who kicked off the night at Electric Bristol.
Jamie McIntyre
Opening with a cover of ‘Half The World Away’, the welcoming crowd gently sang along, warming up the audience for the set. After the first song, he switched from his acoustic guitar to a bouzouki to perform his original track ‘Melbourne’ – a track about a girl he knew for two to three days, before she moved to Australia. His acoustic version of “Outside the City” was another stand-out moment. Jamie’s raspy voice, paired with relatable lyricism and potent storytelling, was truly wonderful.
FFO: Tors, Kingfisher, Palao Nutini
The 502s
Kicking off their first date on their UK tour at Electric Bristol, the six-piece indie-folk band burst onto the stage like a beaming ray of sunshine, ready for a jam-packed set of joy and good vibes.
Opening with Sayonara, the collective brought happy harmonies fueled with feel-good melodies and foot-stomping rhythms. shimmering guitars rang out, and, throughout the set, the sweet additions of banjo, tambourine, and harmonica. Picture Mumford and Sons meet the Beach Boys at a sun-drenched festival during golden hour, and this was it – it was the 502s’ take on Bristol.
Fan favourite, Your Nonsense Makes Sense, brought the band and crowd together with singing and sway before slowing down with Magdelene, with the crowd choiring the heartfelt vocals filling the venue.
A teaser drumming interval kept the crowd engaged before the band’s a surprise encore, the 502s rounded up their set with Just a Little While, a warm and carefree ending with trumpet solos, uplifting keys, and splashing beats of the drums, keeping the crowd bopping and dancing to celebrate the night, jumping up and down, arms in the air, and being together.
For the first night of their UK tour, the joy of the music community being brought together made for a truly special gig in Bristol.
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