DEAF HAVANA
w/ There For Tomorrow, Canterbury
Sherperd’s Bush o2 Academy, London
15th November 2012
Shepherds Bush Empire was the venue for Deaf Havana’s biggest headline show to date. Selling out five days before the show, this was shaping up to be quite spectacular, and in no means did the night disappoint.
There for Tomorrow, forming in 2003, have established themselves as a major act on the rock circuit in the US, playing all the dates on the 2011 Vans Warped tour and releasing two full-length studio albums. Having headlined the Garage in London in November 2010 with support coming from Deaf Havana, it was clear from the start that the quartet had some fans around the venue with various screams and dancing, an overall solid performance.
Next up were main support Canterbury. After gaining a major fan base after releasing their debut album, ‘Thank You’ as a free download in 2009, they returned in 2012 with their much anticipated follow up studio album ‘Heavy in the Day’. Playing songs from both albums, including ‘Wrapped in Rainbows’, ‘Survivor’ & ‘Gloria’, at the end of which front man Mike Sparks thanked the crowd for their constant support of both themselves and more importantly the British Rock scene, which he then went onto say was booming which was apparent from tonight’s British acts. Finishing off their set with ‘Friends? We’re More Like A Gang’, Canterbury continue to show why their ones to watch in 2013.
A year on from releasing their album ‘Fools and Worthless Liars’, Deaf Havana are playing their biggest headline show since forming in 2005. Albeit with some technical issues early on, and starting their set with an alternative, slower version of ‘Youth In Retrospect’, it wasn’t long before they sent the sold out crowd into frenzy. Having the option to play material off both their original and deluxe edition, it was anyone’s guess as to which versions of the songs they were going to be played. A song that stood out to me on both versions of the albums was ‘Anemophobia’, tonight they showed how diverse they were as a band both live and recorded as they started the song off on a piano like that of the alternative version and then kicked in as the whole band to finish it off.
During their set it was clear to see how overwhelming the night was to James Veck Gilodi and his fellow bandmates. They used the platform to announce that they will be supporting fellow Brits You me at Six at their Wembley show that was met by a lot of screams from the crowd. Coming on for an encore, they were joined by eight members of the London Youth Gospel Choir to do renditions of their three songs ‘The World or Nothing’, ‘Fifty Four’ and Finished off with ‘Hunstanton Pier’.
This show will stick in the minds of the band and fans alike for quite sometime, and tonight has been a clear reminder that Great Britain have got one of the finest rock scenes, which Deaf Havana will keep climbing.
Words & Photos: Tim Easton
