“How’s everyone’s Saturday night going?” asks The Big Moon’s singer and guitarist Jules Jackson. She knows full well that it’s actually Monday, but she’s determined to make everyone in the audience let loose and have a good time.
And she does it well. The whole band, in fact, radiate such positive energy that for a couple of hours everyone is able to enjoy their ‘Saturday’ night and just have fun.
Even opening act Prima Queen, after revealing that this is a pretty emotional show for them (their last with their drummer, plus the fact that their bassist’s relationship ended during this tour), don their pink cowboy hats and play on. Though their music is slow and thoughtful, it shimmers optimistically under the dysfunctional lights of the Contemporary.
Though their latest album ‘Walking Like We Do’ is a much more mature, more sophisticated take on indie-rock than their first, it’s interesting to see that The Big Moon haven’t really grown up at all – and I mean that in the best possible way. Before reaching even the first chorus of the first song, Jules is laughing too much to sing, but it’s fine because it’s the classic single Sucker and everyone is singing along too loud to even notice. Throughout the whole set, there is so much smiling and laughter, both on and offstage, that… I don’t know if I’ve ever described a gig as ‘wholesome’ before, but this was a wholesome experience.
Older songs like Bonfire, ones with a rockier edge, get everyone jumping and yelling, and a… surprisingly good cover of Fatboy Slim’s ‘Praise You’ makes it seem like it really is the weekend. That’s not to say that the slower cuts aren’t as enjoyable. Jules leaves the guitar behind and gets into the crowd for an emotional rendition of Waves (which, while really good, was a bit awkward because I don’t know any of the words and she was, like, a foot away from me).
The set closes with Your Light, which, despite being released only a few months ago, everyone sings along like they’ve known it their whole life (even I actually know the words to this one). It’s a bittersweet moment. It’s a joyous song, but it signifies the end of the night, and everyone is sad to see them go. All in all, it was a pretty good Saturday night.
Words: Jacob Chamberlain