Spring King @ Waterfront Studio

This is Spring King’s fourth visit to our fine city within 12 months. Previously playing Norwich Sound & Vision and supporting Courtney Barnett and Slaves, they’ve garnered a passionate audience, in no small part due to their rollicking live shows. Plus they played Jools Holland yesterday, which is always a feather in the cap of a young, upcoming act. The place is rammed with bright young things, some perhaps at their very first gig, and a few gnarly oldies lurking at the back. Spring King are definitely the sound of the yoot in 2016, the indie version of Stormzy, where not so many fans are over the age of 40. But hey. Spring King and Stormzy are young themselves, and who better to express the tenderest parts of your heart than those who are dealing with those same things themselves.

This the very first date on their first headline tour of the UK and it’s sold out on the door. That’s a big deal, and it’s rare that Norwich is the first stop for tours, especially as we as a city are infamously and notoriously hard to impress. A sell out can only bode well for this, a school night.

Marigolds are up first, a Norwich band of boys who have recently released their first EP. The drummer’s particularly dynamic and skilled, but singer Joe’s vocals are the weakest element of the performance, consistently out of tune; whether it’s deliberate or non deliberate it feels weak. They’re excited, energetic and confident, and have a sunny vibe. Their indie sound is neither new nor original, but it’s nice to see a young band just having fun and chuffed to be playing to such a large crowd.

Get Inuit make playful, loud indie tunes with hints of punk with a Weezer-like performance style. They’re fresh from supporting fellow indie kids Vant on tour, and recording a session for Radio 1, so, you know, pretty hot right now. Get Inuit are cheeky, jaunty and have soaring confidence, with loads of bants with the crowd, who lap it up to the extent that halfway through their set a mighty mosh pit occurs, surprising nearly everybody. The kids cannot wait to get started so they start on each other in a very Norwichy, friendly, polite manner of course. Jamie’s whiny voice could irritate some but it really works with the well structured songs that have clearly been worked on. The harmonised vocals between singer and drummer make a huge noise and that’s what creates the magic for me. Slower number Barbiturates shows off Jamie’s vocals to their best advantage and when it gets heavier in the chorus you really feel the power, verging on Foo Fighters musically at times with massive rock riffs. Get Inuit – destined to be all over your radio this summer.

There’s a huge response to the arrival of Spring King onstage, and a glut of smooshed together hip teens all ready for the off at the barrier. The boys look delighted to see us all – Tarek, the singing drummer, has pretty much the happiest smile I’ve ever seen that lights up his whole face. Only John Grant has a better one. Starting with Better Man, and running through their hits, debuting new songs and treating us to some oldies but goodies, this is a solidly fun hour of music that doesn’t let up or let us breathe for a moment. Tarek is a primal powerhouse on the drums, and there is, at times, a proper wall of sound, helped along by excellent guitar work and solid bass action. There’s a swaggering but joyful confidence to them that belies the fact that they’ve only been together for four years – the tightness with which they play makes them seem as one. Plus it’s always heartwarming to see a band just having a wicked time. Slower number They’re Coming After You gets a huge singalong from most of the audience, as do the singles, with Rectifier being the most popular. I very much enjoy a meaty version of the punchy, brash Who Are You? which tonight oddly calls to mind the end section of The Who’s Who Are You in its relentlessness. The mosh pit is crazed with adoration, and the kids bounce and gambol around like lambs on E. Stage divers make attempts and a few succeed, delighting both the crowd and the band.

The urban strut of City finishes up the set and creates total mayhem, the band barely constrained to the stage as they get more and more excited. Tarek says he hopes that the rest of the tour is as good as this, the first night. I have no doubt that sweat will be dripping from walls all over this isle when Spring King come to town. They are the best I’ve seen them tonight, honed by touring non stop. At present their audience is youthful, and their sound is aimed firmly in this direction, but personally what I’m most looking forward to is what musical gems they will be offering us as their sound matures in 10 or 20 years time. They are top of their current game, but they are so damned proficient that I expect lots lots more in the years to come.

The kids are right. Spring King deserve to be bounced to.