Gomez w/ Frightened Rabbit @ Plug, Sheffield

welve is a number that fails to stand out in many peoples minds. Lets face it, it isn’t 15 and it’s not quite 10 – so, it came as little surprise when Gomez announced it was the 12 anniversary of their first show. To this news, only a few intoxicated squeals could be heard among a muted crowd. Tonight’s show brought a throng of people from the outset, this judged on the lengthy queue outside.

Admittedly, it is hard enough supporting any act, however, when you are warming up for a band with the stature of Gomez it must feel like the world is caving in even before you’ve started. This, however, did not seem to phase Frightened Rabbit in the slightest with a wealth of material that catered for almost everyone’s tastes, from slow ballads, through to upbeat indie. A surprisingly crowded venue were present to experience the down to earth Scottish outfit, who appeared relaxed and at ease, despite the task in hand. Minimal lighting gave the impression of a relaxed atmosphere and the songs throughout the set appeared to please an ever-growing crowd who gave reactions worthy of the talent placed in front of them. Some favourites were; Fast Blood, I Feel Better, and Swim Until You Can’t See Land. Frightened Rabbit exited showing heart warming gratitude to the crowd thanking them for their great reaction “This is our last song, thank you so much for coming along. Enjoy Gomez and have a fantastic night. We’ve been Frightened Rabbit”. To which an eruption of cheers and whistles could be heard around the venue, and an emotional “ah, thanks very much” was spoken before beginning their final song. A stunning vocal performance among nothing else merited the outstanding reaction it deserved and I would say many of tonight’s crowd rushed to buy an EP from the back of the venue afterwards.

As 9.55 approached a few stragglers could still be seen entering the venue, Gomez emerged onto stage, under the same ambient purple lighting as their predecessors. The best reaction so far was clearly saved for the main act, as the squeals and whistles from the crowd were almost ear – piercing. Beginning with the relaxed tone of See The World the vocals seemed gravely and had an almost American sounding twinge to them. Think, Pearl Jam mixed with Jack Johnson guitar melodies. The venue by completion of the first song was close, humid, and packed full of excitable fans. As the set began to progress, I felt Gomez became more at ease with the crowd and nerves from the first few numbers had faded somewhat. The set began to increase in pace with the inventive and rocky guitar melodies of Airstream Driver, this whipped the crowd into action with an onslaught of clapping a whistling from the outset. However, they still remained static with the exception of the people getting more and more squashed at the front, it was almost a necessity that they had to move. Although everyone seemed to be embracing every second of this gig whole heartedly, I couldn’t help thinking that Gomez needed variation and depth to their music to give them that extra power and variety to step up a grade.

A fantastic gig with two impressive performances and a crowd that were pleased with almost everything (except the bar prices), signals the end of a good night for all.