shelf lives
This was undoubtedly one of those 'you should have been there' gigs that those there will be reminding you of for months and years to come
With Norwich's Sunday night event with As December Falls at the Adrian Flux Waterfront being cancelled with a number of the band reportedly being ill with Covid, it is another reminder of just how precarious our live music industry remains. The inconvenience and expense of gigs having to be cancelled because of illness is elsewhere compounded by an increase in audience no-shows, and a resultant drop in bar takings and merch sales. No, we are not yet out of the woods.
Which is why it was an absolute pleasure to find an excited and up-for-it audience at the upstairs Studio last night for what was, whilst by no means a sold-out night, a wonderful reminder of how live music is such an inclusive experience; an opportunity for artists to commune with an audience; and for disparate groups of fans to come together and celebrate their one love – music.
And Leeds openers Bathing Suits were certainly bathing in the love showered upon them as they opened last night's gig. Vocalist and live drum machine operative Freyja Blevins is a powerful presence on stage, always moving, always dancing, and impossible to ignore. Opening number 'I Can Be A Freak' uses a sample from Estelle's 'Freak', transforming it with powerful basslines from Elise Hughes, and strong guitar work from Alex Mulholland and George Dickinson, into a gloriously chaotic and pounding banger of a track. The band's ethos is “Always dancey, always loud, always sexy”. And they are certainly all three.
Shelf Lives were put together in 2020, but the first time that many of tonight's audience saw them at the Waterfront was when they supported Lambrini Girls here at the beginning of December 2025. Their new album 'hypernormaL' was released just last month, and tonight's setlist features pretty much every track from it, beginning with the crashing 'baby sonG', and saving the melodic and plaintive banger 'like heR' until last. Toronto-born Sabrina Di Giulio's vocals turn on a sixpence from sensitive to grungy to powerhouse shouty, whilst guitarist Johnny Hillyard is responsible for creating their distinctive studio sound – a crashing blend of power-punk, hip-hop, and electronica. For the live tour they are joined by an Italian drummer who beats his kit mercilessly, and spends most of the show trying to stop his bass-drum from escaping. As well as debuting the new material, there is still time for some classic earlier material, including the incendiary 'Fighting That Bitch' (from 2022's 'Yes,offence'), and earlier singles 'Skirts & Salads' and distortion-filled 'Bite'.
With both bands feeding off the energy of an enthusiastic and supportive crowd, and reciprocative forays over the barriers and into the audience from members of both Bathing Suits and Shelf Lives during their sets, this was undoubtedly one of those 'you should have been there' gigs that those there will be reminding you of for months and years to come.
