Live Review: The Howlers – The Lexington

London desert rockers, The Howlers, recently embarked on their long-awaited UK tour. The run of shows included dates that were originally booked to take place as far back as April of 2020, but that were subsequently postponed due to the pandemic. We joined them at their special hometown show at The Lexington last month, here’s what went down.

The night was kicked off from south London punk rock four-piece Nerves. The band were really energetic and looked to warm up the members of the audience who’d turned up early. Channelling vibes of IDLES, their raw vocals pushed the band’s punchy energy forward. Post-punk quintet Couples followed, with their set garnering a lot of attention from the audience, who demanded for the band to finish their last song when their set was cut early due to a late start.

With the venue packed out, it was time for the main attraction of the night, the band came out to much applause. Despite technical issues cropping up from the first song, the band managed to confidently play on, not letting it faze them. The band’s twangy guitars bounced gracefully around the four walls of the Lexington, backed by the driving beat from Cameron Black’s drums.

Not even stopping when distractions presented themselves – like the shattering sound of a glass hitting the venue’s floor – the band swaggered through their set, playing excellently through songs like ‘I Don’t Love You All The Time’.

Following a pandemic that left The Lexington on its knees, it was nice to finally catch some live music back inside its Victorian walls, and what better way to do that than with The Howlers powerful swagger. The band are 100% a must-see live act, and it’s easy to see that the band have big things to come. Their unique sound wouldn’t be out of place filling larger venues.