On the last leg of their mini-European tour, Cucamaras returned to their Nottingham roots with a momentous Rescue Rooms gig on November 17.
Platform, who have championed the lads ever since they released their first EP in 2019, were there with front-row spots for the big occasion, bursting with pride considering the journey the band has been on.
From NTU students to headliners at one of the city’s most lauded venues, Olly, Josh, Joe and Dan cemented their rise with the performance.
Here were our thoughts from the night!
Will Hugall
On a much-anticipated night, Cucamaras had top billing and the ability to curate a display of music exactly in their image.
They’ve definitely earned this spot at Rescue Rooms, having worked their way up through Nottingham’s venues, with notable performances at The Bodega last October and at Dot To Dot Festival back in May.
Incapable of missing so far with all their single and EP releases, the boys have built plenty of momentum this year and I was really looking forward to the night as a result.
Though the atmosphere built slowly on a night featuring two support acts, it was electric for the arrival of Cucamaras themselves.
Reeling off the tunes that have got them to this position, the band were clearly loving the home stage after trips to Antwerp, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, London, Glasgow and Manchester in the previous month.
They have no doubt become more polished with each of these performances, with great stage presence and plenty of engagement with friends, family and perfect strangers in the crowd.
It was amazing to see new single ‘Porcelain’, which debuted on BBC Radio 1 a few weeks back, performed live, while the likes of ‘Winners Chapel’ and ‘Window Seat’ also went down a storm.
‘Keep It Cool’ and ‘Safe Bet’ probably garnered the biggest reactions of the night – and deservedly so – but my personal favourite cut was ‘Death of the Social’; the song that introduced me to the band when I became Music Editor back in early 2021, and which really connected me with their music.
Having blasted through the tunes, the only complaint was that we wanted more.
That will come in time, of course, and having signed off for 2022 here, I’m sure 2023 will bring plenty more music, and many more exciting moments for Cucamaras.
I can’t wait to see what comes next!
Gianluca Spataro
The Cucamaras event at Rescue Rooms was something I wouldn’t usually choose to go to, however, I do enjoy trying new things.
The opening act of the night, James Gooch, was good, offering some unique songs and a strong voice that set the night up nicely.
James’ style seemed tame in comparison to the eruption that followed by Fudge.
At times I worried the ceiling was going to cave in on us as the lead singer performed and I tried to understand what the lyrics were about.
It was honestly like another language to me, not having a clue what he was singing about. All I heard was overruling drums, bass and shouting.
Their feral performance included indie rock tunes like ‘Walrus’ and ‘Not a Threat, Just a Warning‘ having a similar style to Royal Blood with bold vocals accompanying heavier guitar work and strong base-lines.
The lead singer embraced the audience, although when jumping into the crowd I think he made some people uncomfortable and confused more than anything.
Fudge did have a few decent tunes, but they weren’t really my cup of tea.
So, on that note, it was time for another pint and I was ready to see what the fuss was all about with the band Cucamaras and why they were so popular.
It didn’t take me long to realise why their fanbase continues to grow, as their performance was great and I found their music really impressive.
You could see they were passionate about what they do and I enjoyed how they passed off the energy they had on stage to the audience as the atmosphere boomed and the room finally filled up with a few mosh pits here and there.
I felt like it was a solid gig and overall, I enjoyed their performance. I’d probably go and see them again.
Feature Image Credit: Will Hugall.