Will How @ the Waterfront
If you’re looking for something trendy, I’d advise you to look elsewhere.
Will How’s debut solo performance in honour of the release of his first LP The Heartbreak Club on Friday night at The Waterfront can best be described as a stellar example of how a local music scene ought to look. Dressed by local company Working Title Clothing, who have been working with How over the past few months, and supported by a backing band made up of fellow local musicians, The Heartbreak Club saw the seamless transition from acoustic tracks formed in café/bar Aroma, where the afterparty was also held, to a fully-formed rock show.
The main act followed a thundering warm-up by Midnight Zoo, whose new wave, angst-ridden set appeared deeply inspired by the mid-80s sounds of Joy Division and The Smiths circa Hatful of Hollow, as well as performances from alt-rockers Homefires and the harmonised folk of young duo The Revelation Brothers. The wide variety of the support acts was a precursor to Will How’s 40-minute performance, in which he debuted many of the songs from The Heartbreak Club. This served as evidence that this is not something that has been thrown together, but the product of several years of dedicated work.
If you’re looking for something trendy, I’d advise you to look elsewhere. The subtle throwbacks to classic 70s rock and also the indie revival of the mid-noughties are refreshing, and veers away from the watered-down, radio-friendly sound that other emerging acts are perhaps guilty of.
Followers of How’s band Chasing Creation would scarcely recognise the drummer who has now stepped out from behind the kit and into a spotlight that he can safely call his own. The Heartbreak Club is a brave step away from the indie rock that has helped him build momentum, but the step appears to have paid off.
His first ever solo headline show was nearly sold out and he swaggered onstage with his backing band to the applause of dozens of familiar faces. How told the crowd near the end of his set how much it meant to him to see so many people he recognised out to support him at one of the biggest nights of his career so far. Although brimming with confidence on stage, he echoed this sentiment when I spoke to him later on at the afterparty, somehow unaware that the performance had gone down well.
The show was a stark reminder of what can be achieved when people get behind local talent in the age of reality television, the internet and of instant fame. This is not what Will How is chasing. The kind of success he’s after is the kind that made great bands who they are, and can only be built on a foundation of experience, maturity and perhaps most importantly, the support of a strong local music scene.
