Superheaven, Nai Harvest & Concave @ The Old Blue Last 05/09/2014

It's Friday night and Superheaven are kicking off their European tour at The Old Blue Last, an infamous, trendy but somewhat dingy pub in Shoreditch. The main venue is upstairs and intimate, however this only adds to the atmosphere and as tonight's show has sold out there are plenty of squashed punters. 

The first band up is Concave; a four piece from Wales who seem excited enough to be here. Concave steam through a thirty minute set made up of catchy tunes with a punk/emo feel about them. The band appear to already have a following however, they seemed to have gained a few more fans tonight, including myself! 

Next up are Nai Harvest and the Sheffield two piece have brought in a large crowd. The band jump straight into it with Rush, a song off their E.P Hold Open My Head and this is well received with the crowd participating in singalongs and bouncy movement. Nai Harvest have come far since forming and do not disappoint tonight, the room has a great atmosphere and Guitarist/Vocalist Ben has a stage presence with moves that are in keeping with the band's Indie/Rock persona which encourages crowd participation. Spirits are high, reinforced by stage diving and crowd surfing. The band mention that a new album is due to come out next year and play a couple of tunes from said album, which certainly hits the crowd's expectations. Nai Harvest really pull out all the stops and Buttercups, their latest release off the flower split with Playlounge (available from Dog Knights Productions) goes down particularly well which is a good indicator that the album release next year will be a eagerly anticipated. The band shows buckets of enthusiasm and are well rehearsed but not robotic; the creativity just flows. Nai Harvest are touring Europe this month and are due to hit America in October. 

Luckily I had the opportunity to have a chat with Nai Harvest so unfortunately missed the first couple of songs but, Superheaven (previously known as Daylight) are on stage at 22:00 and regardless of the name change they still have a strong following. The American band have a Grunge/Punk vibe and their set is heavy but oozes emotion. The crowd acrobatics continue and spaces between songs are filled with humorous small talk. Gin fueled heckling from a couple of female admirers invites witty responses from the band. Moisture is dripping off the ceiling and the four piece could certainly do with a larger stage as movement is almost impossible, despite this the band go down a storm and I can certainly see why this show was a sell out; an impressive start to the tour. 

I managed to catch Ben from Nai Harvest after their set for a speedy Q&A:

What are you currently listening to?

The first Cloud Nothing's record from 2011, the new Twin Peaks album; Wild Onion and Teenage Fanclub discography from 1995, just always that! 

If someone has never heard Nai Harvest before, what song would you suggest they listen to first?

I guess our new single Buttercups because it's off our album that's coming out next year so it's probably the most relevant to listen to.

Describe Nai Harvest in one word?

Fuzzy.  

So there you have it, listen to Nai Harvest, buy their records, go to a show, their fuzziness will not disappoint!