Live Review: Holding Absence – Live And In Colour Tour – Electric Ballroom

The Electric Ballroom in Camden has hosted some of the biggest names in British music over the years so it comes as no surprise that it continues to be a venue that up and coming bands aspire to play. One of those bands just so happens to be the welsh rockers Holding Absence who brought their unique blend of alternative rock with aspects from heavier genres to the alluring street of Camden Town on the 6th November 2021. In order to make their biggest headline show to date that much bigger, they brought Aussie rockers Yours Truly and British Post-Hardcore outfit As Everything Unfolds along for the ride.

First to take to the stage was As Everything Unfolds who instantly had the crowd moving as they unleashed their set full of fast pace, high impact songs featuring the likes of ‘Greyscale’, ‘On The Inside’ and ‘Take Me There’. Despite being quite a bit heavier than the other bands on the bill, As Everything Unfolds did a great job of warming up the fans and probably making a few for themselves.

Following that, it was time for Yours Truly to take to the stage and judging by the reaction they received as they walked out, the fans were extremely excited to see them and they did not disappoint. Feeding off the crowd’s energy, Yours Truly put on a captivating set, with a personal highlight of the night being the way the crowd sang and vibed to the track ‘High Hopes’. Holding Absence could not have picked a better band to get the crowd amped for their arrival.

As the lights lowered and the bliss sound of ‘Awake’ started to play, the crowd’s anticipation hit an all-time high before the entire room screamed the words ‘I’m Alive’ in unison. Holding Absence started the set nicely with ‘Celebration Song’ leading into ‘Curse Me With Your Kiss’ before throwing it back to their self titled album with ‘Monochrome’. The energy that the band had was simply electric and they had the crowd in the palm of their hand as soon as they entered the frame.

Holding Absence did a great job of pacing the show by mixing their high energy and crowd favourites with slower and more atmospheric tracks that the crowd would eat up and just embrace the moment. As the show went on, it was clear that the fans were not losing interest. ‘Die Alone’ saw Mikaila Delgado of Yours Truly come back out to lend her voice to the track while ‘Gravity’ intense intro was met with crowd surfers and moshers.

A show can only really be as good as the way it comes to an end and I have to admit, Holding Absence did one hell of a job at creating a memorable ending. ‘In circles’ started the beginning of the end and almost eased the fans in for what would be my favourite moment of the night. ‘Afterlife’ saw the entire room once again sing in unison and both the crowd and the band gave everything they had for this which only continued into the final song of the evening which was ‘Wilt’.

As a whole, the show was an absolute treat for those in attendance. Holding Absence is quickly making a name for themselves for their entertaining live shows and this was a shining example of what they are capable of. I think I can safely say that everyone in attendance left with a smile on their face and I couldn’t have asked for a better way of spending my Saturday evening.