Friday 17 May 2019

Gig Review: Katie MF's Everything Trouble Meant EP Launch at The Black Heart, London 9/5/19


If you've been following CPRW for a while now you will hopefully have noticed that every Sunday we run a Band Of The Week feature. If you've not, it's basically a feature where I share a band that I've found after trawling through the endless amount of bands on the Bandcamp Discovery page (it's one of my favourite pass times). At the time of writing this we have featured 104 and my undoubted favourite has been Katie MF from London. (Sorry C-Rage, I still love you too.)

Starting live as a solo acoustic act before going full band, Katie MF are a band I've been telling everyone about since I first heard them. From the first time I saw them live, I was blown away. Playing a blend of punk rock and folk with powerful and emotive lyrics that can break your heart or get you amped up, Katie MF are the best band to come out of London in the past year or so. This year they have been gearing up for the release of their second EP Everything Trouble Meant – which is incredible. To celebrate the release, the band hosted a launch party at the Black Heart in Camden with a bunch of their friends playing support slots. This was a gig I was seriously excited for.

Opening the night would be solo acoustic guy Will O'Donoghue. He brilliantly opened his set with an acapella song that is, but really isn't, about football. During the song he expertly used picking a football team as a metaphor for not being able to choose where you're born. From there he went onto some sad quiet songs about break ups and bad relationships and had the crowd in the palm of his hand throughout with a really charming performance. He was equally charming between songs as well with some first class stage banter that kept the audience thoroughly entertained. This was a fun and relaxed way to start the night.


When I think of Katie MF one of the first bands that come to mind are their great friends The New Heat. It was absolutely no surprise that these guys were playing the show. It would have been a bigger surprise if they weren't playing really. The New Heat have had a couple of line up changes since I last saw them with only guitarist and singer Nik and bassist Phil remaining. If you didn't know this however you would have never guessed as they put on a very slick performance. Nik's raspy and soulful voice is one of my favourites in the scene at the moment – they are one of the best new bands in London. Highlights from the set included Heartbreakers and No Way Back as well as a cover of Fidlar's West Coast, which I actually prefer to the original. The New Heat are back at the New Cross Inn supporting The Bombpops on the 23rd of May – be sure to get there early for them.


The penultimate band of the evening were Charles And The Big Boys. I was so impressed with this London four piece. Combining punk, grungey rock and jangly indie guitar with the most soulful voice, it was clear to see why a good number of people seemed to have turned up especially to see them. Playing a mixture of songs about love, grieving and politics, it was lead singer and guitarist Charles (who has previously performed solo as Charlie Raphael-Campbell) that stood out with her incredible voice. Some of the notes she was hitting I'm just not used to hearing at a punk rock show. It's refreshing to hear something that I wouldn't normally and to really enjoy it. After the set I actually turned to Emma and said we should go see people who can actually sing more often, she agreed. What a fantastic new band that need to be on your radar.


Now's the time I had been excited about since receiving an early listen of Everything Trouble Meant a month or so before the show. It was time for Katie MF to take to the Black Heart stage, but not before popping backstage to put on some fancy party shirts with plenty of sequins. Emma and I made our way down to the front to make sure we got a great view of what I was sure was going to be the most fantastic hour of music. My brain is a bit messy with the order of the songs but I'm pretty sure they played every single song they know and there wasn't a single dud. When you get a band as ridiculously talented, with Katie on vocals and guitar, Ben on bass and Tobias on drums I'm pretty sure it's impossible to write a bad song. It was great to hear all of Everything Trouble Meant live as well as old favourites such as Feelgood Films, Leaving For The Last Time, Kiss Me Again, Nights Unspecified and some unreleased tracks such as Rat Race, Lucky MF and Apocalypse (which is going to featured on the upcoming CPRW fifth birthday comp) and a very much loved cover of Green Light by Lorde. Ben and Tobias are extremely good at what they do, as demonstrated when they free styled an extended introduction to Praying For Rain whilst Katie had to deal with some spilt beer inspired technical difficulties, but it really was Katie who was the star of the show. Bouncing around the stage, shredding her guitar and showcasing her wonderful vocals, there just aren't many people with a better stage presence. She's just captivating. There was a section of the set where Ben and Tobias left the stage and left Katie to play a few songs solo and acoustic. The room fell silent as she played some really emotional songs that must have pulled on the heartstrings of everyone in the room. There was a moment during the set where I began to tear up; seeing this person, who I found by luck, who I'm completely in awe of how talented they are, is one of the loveliest people I've ever met and who has become a pal of CPRW, live out their dreams in front a room full of friends, family and fans. It was just an absolute pleasure to be able to witness this. It was a moving experience that I'll be telling folk about for a long while. I actually started to during the set, messaging Paul Be Sharp and telling him to put Katie MF as headliner over Spanish Love Songs on Sunday night – for some reason he didn't. Finishing the set with a particularly rowdy of the anti-brexit track Mr Cameron, Mr Gove, this really was a set to remember. Far and away the best hour of music I've seen this year and I'm not sure anything is going to top it.


This gig review was written by Colin Clark. Photos by Emma Prew.

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