Words and Pictures: Adrian Hextall / MindHex Media
Headlining The Underworld, a band I’d first seen in 2014. One of the earliest band’s I’d covered for the site, it makes perfect sense to not only return to London for this special one-off anniversary show and see where the band were at, but we’ve also returned to the original review we did for them when they supported Pop Evil at the O2 Academy 2 in November 2014. At the time, the band had just changed their name, had just released the debut album that they would be revisiting in Camden in 2024 and, as my comments below showed, made an impression from the off.
In Search of Sun – 2014
A tight and slick unit, In Search of Sun have undergone a name change (formerly Driven) and deliver a set more in keeping with Pop Evil than they may have done under their previous moniker. From their groove laden metalcore roots, demonstrated momentarily when they go back to ‘The Fool’ from their earlier E.P. they now demonstrate a well crafted band that has clearly progressed in songwriting and maturity. The manage to blend a mix of infectious melodies, raw emotion and an in Adam Leader, they get great audience interaction which energises the room and helps create a great environment and acts as the perfect warm up for the main act.
Their appearance is almost a modern re-working of ZZ Top. Everyone seems to be sporting beards except for Leader who has gone one step further and forsaken both beard and hair as well. The twin guitar approach of the hirsute Rory Kay and David Ferrer creates some great melodies and is rounded off by the bouncing groove from Faz Couri’s bass and Sean Gorman’s drumming.
Their debut album ‘The World Is Yours’ is out now and well worth investing in.
MEMBERS:
ADAM LEADER – Vocals
RORY KAY – Guitars
DAVID MENA FERRER – Guitars
FAZ COURI – Bass
SEAN GORMAN – Drums & Backing Vox
SETLIST:
The World Is Yours / Give In / In Search Of Sun / Idle Crown / The Fool / 51 56
In Search of Sun – 2024
Now let’s move to In Search of Sun, 10 years later. 2024’s version of the band sees them headlining The Underworld in Camden, a far cry away from the tiny confines of the O2 Academy 2, something that had always been a dream of Adam Leader’s from the off. Coming out in support of the band, who’ve stayed with them over the course of the decade, was a sizable chunk of the crowd from the Camden scene and others who had travelled in especially to see the band, rightfully where they should be.
The band have continued to make music since the debut, heck latest album, ‘Lemon Amigos’ was released in April this year and sees the band garnering some of their most favourable reviews and streams to date. As Yazz once said, “The only way is up” and this 10th anniversary show, celebrating the band’s debut album, serves as a great look back across that first decade, allows the band to draw a line under it all and now focus on the next ten years that, if both ‘Lemon Amigos’ and 2017’s ‘Virgin Funk Mother’ are anything to go by, should see the band capitalise on the direction they are now taking.
With both Weller and BlackMarket having warmed up the crowd at The Underworld nicely, and with Leader showing his thanks as In Search of Sun came on stage, it fell to the headliners to keep the momentum going. Early doors had meant the venue filled slowly but, thanks to the old school approach of ‘paying on the door’, by the time In Search of Sun hit the stage, the venue was hot and the crowd were energised and ready to bounce.
And bounce they did as the band kicked off with ‘The World Is Yours’. If ever the trick in inspiring a crowd is to look like you’re enjoying what you’re doing on stage then ISOS must be magicians. The smiles were wide, the band, as tight as I’d first seen them back in 2014, and to be fair to them, probably tighter thanks to more than a few miles under their belts in the intervening years.
To celebrate the anniversary, the album was played in ‘almost’ the right order. The switchover, moving ‘Skin’ before ‘To The Axe’ made sense with the former being given the acoustic treatment and providing a neat break to speak to the crowd.
Having toured earlier in the year, on the back of the new ‘Lemon Amigos’ album, it’s no surprise that the latter part of the set (well the last four songs to be precise) featured three tracks from it. The highlight for me, of the three, is ‘The Fire I Play With’. Fresh, modern, the sort of music that should be storming up the rock charts and a track that crosses multiple genres (although that’s where the band have always excelled for me) with that electronic vibe that will sell in Europe as much as it would in the US with the right backing. They closed with ‘Bad Girl’, the Chilli Peppers-esque funkathon from ‘Virgin Funk Mother’ leaving everyone wondering why the band aren’t up there alongside other outfits such as Bring Me The Horizon that have made that transition from their earliest roots into the arena filling artists that they are. In Search of Sun still have that chance and hopefully this show will remind everyone why, as I said in 2014, they are worth investing in.
SETLIST
The World Is Yours
Give In
51 56
In Search Of Sun
Idle Crown
Burn
Skin (acoustic rendition)
To The Axe
Draw The Line
The Eyes Behind I
Rhythm
Contagious
The Fire I Play With
Bad Girl
First up;
BlackMarket
It’s fair to say that if Linkin Park only had one singer, someone to do the high stuff and the rapping, they might well sound like BlackMarket. The band, formed in 2017 cite their influence as Enter Shikari, A Day To Remember and I Prevail and present themselves as more alt-metal than nu-metal but fans of LP won’t find much to dislike when they’re performing live. An energised frontman, Fraser Burrow had his work cut out performing to a less than half full room, thanks to the early start time (and early finish) with it being a Friday night at The Underworld. Everyone seems to forget that early doors Fridays are a thing, there’s always a club night afterwards so you have to make the effort to get in early to watch what could be the band of the future.
For those of us that were there, BlackMarket made the effort worthwhile and Burrow definitely worked his magic on the people that were there, leaving them eager for more and setting up main support Weller perfectly.
Weller
For people who’ve been to see In Search of Sun this year, then you’ll be aware of Weller who have been out on tour with them. Keeping (or at least it felt like it) the Nu-metal vibe going, the lively outfit from the South East of England kept the energy in the room peaking in the red zone with their own brand of music.
Closer in style to Papa Roach than say Linkin Park (with BlackMarket) I’m not going to complain one jot as Weller tick a lot of boxes in styles that the hip types of the current decade would try and dismiss as no longer relevant. Good music is however good music and the catchy hooks, heavy grooves and good mix of vocal styles ensures that, like BlackMarket, there is a place for Weller and rightly so. A very very tight and fun performance which tee’d us up perfectly for In Search of Sun… and now back to the top of the page!
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