CASSIA LIVE AT LONDON’S HERE AT OUTERNET

★★★★★ (5/5)

**CASSIA PERFORMING AT LONDON’S HERE AT OUTERNET**
**PHOTOCREDIT: JACK BRADY**

Cassia bring their unique brand of sunshine indie to London on their “This An Album Tour” in support of their latest release “everyone, outside”. The venue, Here at Outernet, which is one of London’s best new venues, is sold out for tonight’s show, which is the biggest for the Macclesfield lads to date.

First up we have support from two other artists, Sean Trelford and Arcy Drive. Sean Trelford is a solo artist who stands centre of the large stage with just a microphone and electric guitar. It would be easy to get lost and cower to the pressure but Sean handled the occasion exceptionally well, interacting with the sparse but receptive audience frequently and getting the crowd warmed up.

Next up is Arcy Drive from New York who are touring with Cassia. They take to the stage with an energy I was not expecting. If you listen to their records they are somewhat chilled with folk vibes mixed with mellow 60s rock. However, tonight the band's sound is quite a bit heavier than their records would suggest. Arcy Drive are well received by the crowd who are again on top form and interacting with the band any chance they get.

Cassia take to the stage as the crowd enter a new level of excitement. The band walk onto the stage like they belong there and are clearly making the most of their time in the spotlight on this tour.

The set kicks off with “western front”, followed by new album title track “everyone, outside” which gets a great response from the crowd this early in the set. It’s clear that Cassia has a loyal following from the reaction to the songs from the new album. The sold out crowd had been in great spirits after two great support acts and we’re ready for a party. Rob (guitar / lead vocals) and Lou (bass / vocals) both striding across and amping the crowd up any chance they got.

New album tracks such as “everyone, outside”, “heat” and “reframe” take the bands unique sunshine indie sound and push it even further, carving themselves a unique position in the musical landscape. The songs translate exceptionally well live and are lapped up by everyone in attendance.

The new songs blend well with old favourites such as “100 Times Over” which gets the biggest love so far and the tempo of the set is helped along with slower acoustic numbers like “Don’t Make A Scene” which singer Rob tells us was wrote in Berlin during Covid.

During the set the band effortlessly swap between instruments with both Rob and Lou jumping on keyboards for various songs in the set. It’s clear that not only can Cassia write catchy choruses but they are equally talented musicians.

As “Don’t Make A Scene” ends the stage descends into darkness and a light show ensues. The band jam on multiple instruments with what can only be described as an almost Jungle like sound making the gig feel more like a club night than a gig. We are treated to synths and bongo drums layered on top with repetitive vocals. This is a great interlude to the set and really sends the gig in a different direction.

The jam ends with “Morning’s Coming”, the intro song to their second album followed by the popular “Similar” which sees the crowd singing back the chorus with a new energy.

The rest of the set sees both band and crowd continuing the party vibe ending with an encore of crowd favourites “reframe” and “Right There”.

Tonight was huge for both Cassia and their fans and shows the band’s growing maturity on larger stages. It’s clear to see that they have carved out a unique sound in the vast sea that is indie rock and are ready to take the baton from the likes of The Kooks and Circa Waves as one of the forerunners of this generation of Indie. They are a band that are perfect for playing festivals and if they carry on this trajectory will surely be going on to bigger and better things.