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After the release of their latest album, Irish duo Bicurious have been on tour across the UK to
show off their excellence to the public, with Nottingham-based A-Tota-So joining them as themain support across the tour. We headed to London’s Lexington to catch them, as well as local act Mount Forel starting off the whole event.
The aforementioned opening act Mount Forel kicked things off in very suitable fashion, with a sound drenched in curiosity and melancholy. The members of the band hark from all corners of the globe, and their disparate heritages and influences all came together in a beautiful blend of ethereal post-rock and progressive rock. The bass and drums locked in together so tightly you could barely tell it was two separate musicians playing them at points, and the vocals floated atop the music in a wondrous fashion. Mount Forel have all the hallmarks of an excellent band, and with some more time and shows under their belts it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them headlining places like the Lexington in the near future, or even much bigger venues!
Touring support act A-Tota-So played a typically great set - as they so often do - with their
heavy, progressive style making every moment they spent on stage entrancing and enjoyable. Bringing up a friend of the band, Jethro, to join in for two songs gave a great injection of fun to proceedings, and the group worked their way through some fan favourites to keep spirits high.
‘Far Enough’ is perennially brilliant, and the expectations upon the song hold true in London, and both ‘Choke’ and ‘Squirrel Bait’ went down a treat. Guitarist and vocalist Marty Captain’s custom branded guitar rang out to captivate the audience from beginning to end, and the band walked off to a very well deserved round of applause.
Finally, it came time for the headline act. Bicurious’ new album ‘Your Life is Over Now…’ has
been received to a plethora of positive reviews, almost overwhelmingly so, and for good reason - it is a stellar record, amongst a collection of other great releases, that make up the duo’s discography, albeit only their second full length album. They leaned heavily on the new material, playing six songs off of their latest LP out of eleven total that made up their set. ‘Gutless’ was a particular high point, as was the rendition of their 2019 single ‘I Don’t Do Drugs, I Just Sweat a Lot’.
The energy of both Gavin Purcell and Taran Plouzané on stage cannot be denied, at once
getting the crowd going and also keeping time with their most riotous moments. With a show like that, as well as the ever-increasing support of the alternative scene, it won’t be long until they are at every single one of the alt festivals on the British and European circuit.
After stepping out of the muggy, sweaty atmosphere in the upstairs venue, the chilly Winter night felt far more bearable, and it was all too easy to keep a pep in the step after a show that plastered smiles across every attendees face.
Words: Jake Longhurst
Photos: Amy Hannah
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