Wavves frontman Nathan Williams handpicked the Hoxton Bar and Kitchen for his only London show of 2012 for it's intimacy, and it paid off. By the time the band shuffled on stage, the back room of the Hoxton Square bar was filled to capacity, with pleading fans being turned away at the entrance.
The set opened with King of the Beach, title-track to their critically-acclaimed and hyped third album. Almost instantaneously the crowd dispersed and descended into hysteria. The lo-fi sound of Wavves' studio recordings translated to loud, thrashing and ear-splittingly energetic in a live environment. Bottles, Flat-caps and T-Shirts were thrown over the crowd, as more and more fans involved themselves in the punching, spitting, and heckling circle of the audience.
Whilst the atmosphere of the set wasn't to everybody's taste, with a crowd of older fans opting to watch from the sidelines, the setlist showcased the best of Wavves extensive back catalogue. Despite King of the Beach being the first of their records to break through to commercial success, older tracks such as 'So Bored' and 'No Hope Kids' received just as frantic and enthusiastic reaction as the newer material. Most successful were tracks from recent EP, Life Sux. Wavves back catalogue might not show particular progression from start to finish, but you can't deny that their material is consistently well-received by fans, and from the reaction of the crowd at Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, there's no need for them to change the formula just yet.
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