Grunge rock band The Mysterines played the Castle and Falcon on the 27th of February for what was a confident performance, showcasing promising unreleased tracks and their thumping repertoire to date. They were supported by an energetic performance from two bands; Wood and Nails, and Drool, an indie-rock band with slick guitar hooks and a frontman with delivery and mannerisms that resembled aspects of Alex Turner’s.  

This gave off the impression that for her, playing to a sold-out show comes naturally, despite only being 19

Lead singer Lia Metcalfe is a compelling front to the band; she oozed with confidence and style, coming on stage sporting a black button-up blazer and bold, glittery sunglasses. Raising her glass to the audience upon entering after the rest of the band, she was completely composed whilst chewing gum. This gave off the impression that for her, playing to a sold-out show comes naturally, despite only being 19. The band stormed to life with ‘Who’s Ur Girl’ which was vibrant, exuding even more intensity live. 

Throughout the performance it was clear that the band were enjoying themselves, bassist George Favager singing the lyrics alongside Metcalfe with a massive grin spread across his face. They were very tight as a unit of four. Chrissy Moore had recently left the band and has been replaced by Paul Crilly on drums, with the addition of Callum on guitar. Musically sound, the band lacked in conversation between the songs. At points, it was refreshing for one song to flow seamlessly into another, which meant that the energy was never lost. However, it felt like something was missing and, as The Mysterines are a band still developing and finding their feet in the music industry, it may have enhanced their performance for the audience to find out a bit more about the people behind the music and the significance of some of their songs. 

It may have enhanced their performance for the audience to find out a bit more about the people behind the music

Moving through a mix of old and new tracks, a highlight of the night was The Mysterines build up into ‘The Bad Thing’, an unreleased song, where the tempo rapidly increased. During this, Metcalfe made eye contact with me (having removed her sunglasses), before moving to hook onto someone else’s gaze. Whilst slightly unsettling, she was demanding attention and focus and it added to the restlessness of the song. I was never inclined to look away; she’s a powerful presence on stage. 

For much of the performance the crowd were relatively still, not doing much more than clapping along at points. Two girls standing right in front of the stage were trying to make up for the lack of energy elsewhere, jumping wildly during ‘Take Control’ after Metcalfe enquired ‘Birmingham, how are we feeling?’.  It felt like the band deserved more from the audience and the songs commanded more liveliness. But, this wasn’t completely unpromising – the audience still seemed to be enjoying the performance.

The band euphorically finished the set on ‘Gasoline’,  Metcalfe yelling the lyrics, ‘I just love to hate you’, ironically with a small smile on her face, the somewhat harsh line contrasting with the light tone of the music. Lia Metcalfe came back on alone for the encore and sang an acoustic track, ‘Still Call You Home’. Her raw, deep vocals were best showcased here with everything else stripped back. The rest of the band then returned to play their roaring song ‘Hormone’, with the stand-out line, ‘Youth, is it my excuse?’. It was a strong ending to a high-powered and charged performance. The Mysterines are one to keep your eye on. 

Tickets for the rest of The Mysterines’ current tour are available here

Why not have a look at some more of our live reviews?

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Live Review: HMLTD

Live Review: The Goo Goo Dolls