Last week Moose Blood played a show at the Oobleck in Birmingham as part of Independent Venue Week. Moose Blood, who hail from Canterbury and deliver a blend of emo and punk, have been quickly gaining notice and popularity. This tour, with Boston Manor and Choir Vandals, is their first-ever headlining tour. Arriving an hour before doors opened, there was already a long line of eager fans queuing around the fountain in the courtyard of the Custard Factory. The show was 16+ and the audience was primarily on the younger side. While the show did not sell out in advance unlike most of the other tour dates, they ended up having to turn people away at the door. As such, the Oobleck, which is a rather small room, was rammed from wall to wall.
Northern punkers Boston Manor [8/10] kicked the evening off. Despite being the first band on, the crowd was clearly enjoying there set and some people were even singing along. The band had a good live energy, which served as a great way to start the night. Boston Manor is certainly a band to keep an eye out for.
Next up were Choir Vandals [7/10] who came all the way from America. Unsurprisingly, less audience members seemed familiar with their music, compared to Boston Manor. Though their musical style is hard to define, they had a less clearly punk sound than the other two bands, veering more towards indie. However, they seemed to be enjoying themselves and played energetically. This tour was Choir Vandals first time playing in Europe and they made a good impression, hopefully gaining new British fans.
Finally it was time for Moose Blood [10/10] to take the stage. I had a chance to talk to the band before the show and you can check that interview out here. They opened up with ‘Pups,’ which got the crowd moving immediately. Despite not having quite enough material to constitute a very long headlining slot, Moose Blood’s set was fantastic. They played pretty much every song off their debut album I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time, which came out back in October. They also played ‘Evening Coffee,’ of their Moving Home EP, which garnered a fantastic response from the audience. For a band that hasn’t been touring very long, they already have an impressively confident stage presence. They closed with their hugely popular song ‘Boston.’ Moose Blood certainly proved that they have the talent and passion to back all the hype they’ve been getting.
Overall, the show was fantastic. The Oobleck was a perfectly sized venue for the show and it was fantastic to see so many people out supporting independent music venues on a Thursday night. It was also really great to see all the bands hanging around after the show chatting to fans.
Moose Blood embarking on their biggest tour yet, as the main supports for Fightstar later this month. This tour kicks off in Birmingham at the Institute on the 23rd.
