When indie punk sweethearts Toodles & The Hectic Pity announced a UK tour with their friends Live, Do Nothing at the beginning of 2022, we quickly snapped up our (free) tickets for the London show. Since stumbling upon them a four or five years ago, Toodles have become big favourites in the CPRW camp so anytime they’ve come to London we’ve made the effort to go and see them. The gig would be taking place at a venue named the Shacklewell Arms which is in East London.
When we arrived at the venue – which we hadn’t been to before – I immediately felt comfortable. It was a really welcoming place that I wish I lived closer to. My thoughts throughout the entire night were what a lovely place Shacklewell Arms is. If you live nearby, make sure you support the venue!
First up was Hassan of
Triple Sundae playing a rare acoustic set. Hassan was a late but very welcome addition to the line up as the original act had to drop out. Since gigs started happening again I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Hassan perform more than anyone else whether it’s with the rest of Triple Sundae or performing hip hop as
Lounar. I’ve been saying for a long time that Hassan has one of the best voices in punk rock and hearing him perform acoustically really showcases that. Hassan played through many Triple Sundae classics as well as a couple of brand new songs and a Lounar track that was originally written for Triple Sundae. It was lovely to see Hassan perform like this and a great way to kick off the night.
We first saw
Live, Do Nothing in September 2021 at Fishstock in Bristol. I believe that was the first time that they played with the newest incarnation of the band – with what seemed like a full orchestra. At the time, I assumed that this was something special they had done for Fishstock but it turns out this is the band now! I really enjoyed the Live, Do Nothing set. It was clear that they’ve been working hard on getting tighter as a band and it really showed. This set was full of pure joy from start to finish. The band seemed so happy to be on the stage together playing their music and that feeling spilled out into the crowd. With so many different instruments on the stage, including a cello, flute and keytar, I was super impressed with how seamless the set went and how there wasn’t any awkwardness between songs as members switched instruments around. If you haven’t ever listened to Live, Do Nothing I really suggest that you do as it’s clear that they’re on the rise and will be one of the most talked about UK bands in the next year or so.
The evening’s last act was, of course,
Toodles & The Hectic Pity and we were excited. Like Live, Do Nothing, we had been fortunate enough to see Toodles at Fishstock back in September and they played a killer set. Now they were finishing a UK tour and were on top form. Also, kudos to Toodles and Live, Do Nothing for managing to get through a whole tour without having to cancel anything due to the covid. The Shacklewell arms began to fill up a little bit more in time for the band to start. I don’t know if it was folk who had turned up especially for the band or if it was people in the pub popping in to the venue room to see what was happening but, either way, they were in for a treat. The band played through songs from both of their EPs, Call In Sick and Ghosts, Guilt & Grandparents, as well as a handful of new ones and they all sounded great. Callum on vocals and guitar, Max on bass and Dom on drums and melodica are all superb musicians – and together on stage they’re like an undeniable force. I challenge anyone to go see them live and to not thoroughly enjoy themselves. For a three piece, they have a great stage presence and their music screams out to be sung along with. I’ve seen the band a number of times now and I have to say that I don’t think Callum’s vocals have ever sounded better. It’s always an absolute pleasure to see Toodles & The Hectic Pity and I’m looking forward to seeing them again at the MPF warm-up show in a few weeks time.
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