Superlove Live at The Forum Basement

The band teamed up with the MVT and The National Lottery to play an intimate set

The live music sector was one of the biggest sectors affected by the global pandemic. Many people were unsure when they would be able to work again, and the venues struggled to make ends meet. When Venues were allowed to open and bands started to play again midway through 2021, The National Lottery teamed up with the Music Venue Trust to create the Revive Live Tour which would see bands and artists play in grassroots venues and allowed the fans to bring a friend with them for free. Artists such as Everything Everything, Becky Hill, Enter Shikari, Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls and more have played at grassroots venues across the country to kickstart the live scene after a time of instability. Superlove was one of these bands on this tour and they came to The Forum Basement in July. The band played the venue just before lockdown in 2020 and they were fantastic then so I was looking forward to seeing what they would bring in 2022.

My friend and I made our way down to The Basement located in The Sussex Arms in Tunbridge Wells to find the band getting ready for their set. We knew from the soundcheck this set was going to be loud and as it was 28°C outside, it was going to be a hot one too. The band opened their set with the rift heavy "THINK ABT U" and mostly played their older material at the start such as "Greener Grass" and "I Love It" to kick off proceedings. It was a great start and reminded me of the last time I got to see the band at this venue. The band also had new material to share as they released some music over lockdown and a new album this year. Songs such as "Colours", "Save Yourselves" and the quite bizarre "btw! i adore u" all got played in the set which demonstrated the bands progression since forming in 2018.

The band describe themselves as "UK NOISE -POP" which I think is the perfect way to describe their sound. A mix of pop lyrics and electronics which are similar to the likes of The1975 and heavy guitar riffs which can be compared to the likes of Don Broco. This mix makes for a great live sound and offers a lot of variation in their sound which makes them such an interesting group to watch and listen to. A great example of this would be when vocalist and Bassist Jacob Rice would perform "Bruce" which was a much slower song and showed Rice's amazing vocals and the band's diversity.

The show did not have its issues, however. Unfortunately, Guitarist and vocalist Jonathan Worgans mic broke meaning he was unable to perform his parts in songs which was a shame but nonetheless, the band soldiered on and put on a great show which ended with "Book A Holiday" which ended their set with everyone jumping up and down and trying not to hit their heads on the low roof.

After the show, the band stayed around to sell some merch and talk to fans. My friend and I got to speak to Jacob after the show. I told Jacob how I was at the show in 2020 and he remembered me and my dad standing at the back which their set. I was surprised he could remember us, but we spoke about the show in 2020 and the show they did that night. He was a nice and funny guy and was a pleasure talking to him. We brought some shirts from the band and went on our way, very sweaty because of the heat but very satisfied with their set.

This is what I love about the Revive Live Tour. It allows you to be part of an intimate concert and get close to the artist while supporting your local venue in these tough times. If you would like to check out more about the work that the MVT does check out the link below and see how you can support your local venues.

https://www.musicvenuetrust.com/