Californian surf-rock band, almost monday, brought the beach to Birmingham with their spectacular headline show at Mama Roux’s. The last time the band were in the UK they were supporting The Driver Era and their latest tour so there were plenty of eager fans keen to see them play a full set. The DIVE Tour has already stopped in Asia, America and Europe since the album’s release back in September so I was excited to see what the show had in store. 

I only caught the end of Little Image’s support set but they did an excellent job in warming the crowd up and the venue was packed out to the back. It wasn’t long before the stage was bathed in rosy pink lights and the band appeared. ‘is it too late?’ was an electric opening track and the band showcased their infectious energy from the get-go. Wasting no time the band went straight into their recent alternative chart hit ‘can’t slow down’. Keeping the good vibes going ‘cough drops’ followed and the entire venue sang along to the familiar riff. 

Lead singer Dawson Daughtery’s stage presence was addictive as he danced around the stage capturing the audience brilliantly with his signature karate-esque moves. The band worked their way through some tracks from DIVE with sleek transitions and intricate musicality. The crowd really engaged with these new tracks, the band demonstrating how well they work in a live environment. ‘jupiter’ was a noticeable favourite and had the majority of the crowd dancing along to the bouncy basslines and big synths. 

almost monday’s music works particularly well in a concert environment, their effortless fusion of surf-rock and bright indie-pop melodies brings to life an immense feeling of euphoria which very easily tricks you into thinking you’re on a Californian beach rather than in a Digbeth nightclub. The whole band must be applauded for bringing these songs to life, Cole Clisby (guitar) and Luke Fabry (bass) were a force to be reckoned with, never missing a beat. Their set covered moments from their entire discography including some of their earlier tracks such as ‘broken people’ and ‘parking lot view’ which went down a treat. They soon dove back into their new music (excuse the pun), ‘you look so good’ and ‘she likes sports’ being standouts.

The serotonin-filled tracks ‘sun keeps on shining’ and ‘life goes by’ ended the set and left a buzz in the air as they left the stage. From start to finish the band’s performance was intoxicatingly fun, dripping with sunkissed confidence. The energy in the venue was palpable as the band left an immense feeling of joy as they exited the stage. On this tour, almost monday have proved they can put on a stellar headline performance which they demonstrated this incredibly well at the Birmingham show. I look forward to seeing what the band do next and seeing them live again for another dose of lively sun-dazed fun.

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