LIVE: Retro Video Club @ Bermondsey Social Club 24.10.18

Having sold out the 650-capacity Liquid Room in in their hometown of Edinburgh earlier this year, tonight Retro Video Club play their debut London show at The Bermondsey Social. For a tour co-headlined with fellow newcomers RedFaces and Blackwaters, a pretty decent crowd has turned out on this mild October evening.

Opener ‘Psycho’ sets the tone for this short but energetic set. This is a band that knows how to write a hook, and they soon have the room bouncing. ‘Sunday’s’, ‘Recovery’ and previous single ‘Chemistry’ are rattled off in quick succession, the band not wanting to lose the momentum, showing real confidence in their performance while clearly having fun doing it.

Singer Liam Allison announces that this is their first ever tour of the UK, but reassures us they’ll be back before the band kick into new single ‘3AM’, yet another high energy track that is well suited to this small but sweaty venue. There’s definitely a party atmosphere as people knock back tequilas at the bar while the band power through their final song ‘1993’, opening with a catchy riff that could come straight from the 80s.

And all too quickly its over. Retro Video Club are definitely a band to keep an eye on. Something tells us that on their next visit to the UK, they won’t be playing in venues of this size for much longer.

John Sparks