Photo: Fraser Kerr

Live Review: Stand Atlantic – Electric Ballroom

The Electric Ballroom has been the turning point for so many huge bands in the past with bands like The Killers, Madness and The Clash all claiming a residency in the infamous Camden Town venue. Stand Atlantic will be hoping to follow a similar path as the aforementioned bands as they bring their unique style to the home of alternative music. Here’s what went down when Stand Atlantic took over The Electric Ballroom.

Opening the show was the band The Dead Love and unfortunately, it was not a set to remember. From mixing issues to a real lack of charisma, the set just seemed to fall flat and the majority of the room looked as though they felt the same. Right from the off, the mix just seemed way too bass-heavy to the point where it would drone out everything else. The band’s more simplistic natured songs really struggled to deliver what they could have due to the riffs and vocals being shockingly low while the drumming and bass just seemed to get louder. As the band approached their final few songs, the sound desk clearly realized something was wrong as there was a sudden change in the band’s output and they managed to play the last two songs how they were intended.

Photo: Fraser Kerr

Following that was Lauran Hibberd and despite the set starting with her vocals so low they seemed inaudible, this issue was quickly rectified and the band produced a high energy set. The band have a very unique sound and almost come across as a female-fronted mix of Weezer and Wheatus (In a good way). Despite the polarizing change in sound, the crowd quickly got behind them and there were fans dancing and singing along to each song as the set flew by. Simplistic and memorable song structures made it easy for new fans to catch on and I can assume the band may have found a fair few more fans due to this performance.

The stars looked down on Camden town, and Stand Atlantic finally took to the stage. Opening with the song ‘Jurassic Park’ before launching straight into ‘Eviligo’. The fans in attendance wasted no time unleashing their singing voices as the crowd seemed to echo around the iconic Camden Town venue which was only amplified by the song ‘Skinny Dipping’. The first pit seemed to break out during the song ‘Wavelength’ and everyone involved seemed to be having the time of their life. New single ‘Pity Party’ went down really well with the fans and the inclusion of Lauran Hibberd singing the featured section of the song made it all the more impressive.

Photo: Fraser Kerr

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As the set rolled on, the band kept the energy in the room alive. ‘Shh!’, ‘Like That’ and ‘Lost My Cool’ came and went before Stand Atlantic played an unreleased song titled ‘Dumb’ which captured the crowd’s hearts and minds. ‘Toothpick’ slowed down the momentum which was followed by the highly emotional ‘Drink To Drown’ and ‘Silk & Satin’. The lul in the set didn’t last long however as ‘Lavender Bones’ saw the crowd pick up from where they left off. Jumping and dancing were all you could see no matter where you looked which quickly turned into singing and moshing with ‘Blurry’ entering the fray. As the set drew to a close, the band still had a couple of cards up their sleeves. ‘Deathwish’ saw The Dead Love come back out to accompany the band, ‘Hate Me (Sometimes)’ turned the dial up to 11 and ‘Coffee At Midnight’ worked wonders being the calm before the storm. Closing out the show was the explosive ‘Molotov [OK]’ which sent the fans spiralling off home after generating the only circle pit of the night.

Stand Atlantic really knows how to captivate an audience and this show helped to highlight the band’s potential. Despite the night starting off less than ideally, that didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits and fans wandered off into the night full of glee and excitement. You can’t ask for much more than that.

Photo: Fraser Kerr