Music Editor Faith Parker attended The Big Spook 2 whilst in Exeter to check out the local music scene
On the 30th October, The Big Spook 2 was held at Cavern in Exeter, promising to be bigger and better than the previous year. The sold-out evening comprised of a line-up of 5 of the best local bands, including The Post, Fluff, The Likelihood, The Issues and Poppyshow, who organised the event. The venue was decked out in an appropriately spooky fashion; the stage was lined with pumpkins and the ceiling was draped in spider webs. It was clear that a huge amount of effort had been poured into this night.
The Big Spook 2 was kicked off by The Post, an indie rock band with classic rock influences. There was a queue outside Cavern before doors opened; people got down early to catch the band and there was a buzz of excitement in the venue. This was the band’s first gig with a slight change up. Former drummer Aidey Watts now shared centre stage with Oscar Wooding, with Ned Page on bass and the new addition of Brian Byrne on drums. They confidently kicked off with a cover of ‘London Calling’ by The Clash. A highlight of the set was the catchy ‘Aesthetic Addict’, one of their singles with excellent harmonies; Watts and Wooding’s vocals paired together well. They ended the set with a cover of Ozzy Osbourne’s song ‘Mr. Crowley’, which exhibited the band’s musical prowess.
Following The Post was the electric Fluff, a one-man punk act with more stage presence than most bands put together. Drawing similarities to Lynks and Slaves, Fluff’s music is energetic and angry. He uses a boombox, whilst running across the stage playing bass. The set began with Fluff amid the crowd, riling everybody up, shouting into a megaphone. He wore a white boiler suit with the words ‘Psycho Ward’ written on it and a balaclava. During 21Thunder, Fluff encouraged audience participation, getting the crowd to sing ‘They call me Twenty One Thunder/ feeling six feet under tonight’. He knew just how to excite the crowd.
He knew just how to excite the crowd
Fluff performed two covers, including ‘Heathens’ by Twenty One Pilots and closing with ‘Howden Aldi Death Queue’. One of Sam Fender’s best songs, Fluff’s version was just as energetic and yet a refreshing take with the use of the drum machine.
The Likelihood were up next, continuing the party. The band must be commended for their monkey and banana costumes, which must have made it more difficult than usual to play. Nevertheless, the self-labelled ‘sketchy indie’ band put on a stella performance. They played their latest single ‘No Time For Money’, which was fast and fun. The vocals have a post-punkish spoken element to them during the verses, elevating the music. They covered Talking Head’s ‘Psycho Killer’, which was a crowd pleaser, and Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’, during which Jacob Horton from Poppyshow joined in, providing a humorous part of the night.
Well-established on the local scene since 2019, The Issues provided a strong performance, with their ‘sloppy Indie Punk’ bangers. Lead singer Joe Jenkins, wearing the iconic Wednesday Addams attire, was a brilliant front-man and performer, with animated facial expressions. The Issues opened with ‘Creep’ by Radiohead, shortly followed by one of their more chilled-out songs, ‘Katie’. The rest of their set was a non-stop joy ride with manic riffs. The crowd were loving it and moved restlessly, inciting one big mosh. ‘Charlie’s a D*ckhead’ was a short and sweet hit; the crowd screamed the lyrics along with the band. They ended with their latest single, fabulously named ‘Arancini’, with a gritty, groovy bass line. If you are a fan of the likes of The Chats and LIFE, chances are you will love The Issues.
The Big Spook 2 was closed by Poppyshow, curators of the event. I spoke to lead singer Jacob Horton briefly after their set and he told me that the evening was a month and a half in the making. The passion they put into The Big Spook 2 was matched by the passion Poppyshow put into their music. They fittingly played ‘Ghostbusters’ with costumes to match, keeping the crowd in a spooky, energetic mood.
The passion they put into The Big Spook 2 was matched by the passion Poppyshow put into their music
Poppyshow’s trash rock music is euphoric, with melodic vocals. The enjoyment of the band on stage was palpable. Horton triumphantly crowd-surfed during one of their songs. His entry back on stage resulted in a large chunk of cobwebs being torn from the ceiling, but this did not deter from the performance. They were joined by special guest Estee from Piston Dreams for one of the songs, who oozed confidence and looked like she was having a great time with the band. The crowd loved singles ‘sick and tired’ and ‘skin’, which Poppyshow played in their encore. During ‘skin’, the crowd joined for one last manic mosh pit of the night.
The Big Spook 2 was an entertaining evening all-round. It was great to see a range of local acts and to see them supporting each other. Hopefully, the event will return next year for The Big Spook 3…
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