Darlia LIVE @ Sebright Arms, London 16.06.14

A bloody good night - literally - from the purveyors of Blackpool punk rock.
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Darlia (from the two times I’ve seen them) have a tendency to play in venues far too small for the sound they, and their choice of support bands, choose. This, however, is no bad thing; the size of the venue seemingly relates directly to the atmosphere.

The whole evening was refreshingly relaxed, with the guys from Baby Strange emerging from somewhere within the crowd to take to the stage, while Darlia, in preparation, drank at the bar.

I was pleasantly surprised by Baby Strange, who, although it was very short, captivated everyone with their set. They played songs they “never play live” in order to please the most enthusiastic of fans, while shouting profanities at everyone else, but somehow keeping the affection of the entire room. Similarly to their entrance, Baby Strange dropped their instruments and stepped off the stage into the crowd, unfazed by any unfinished business or lack of professionalism.

darlialiveDarlia accurately described it as a “bloody good night” and I only wish this wasn’t meant so literally. They continued the evening in a similarly cavalier nature to Baby Strange, playing and chatting with the audience. They kicked off with ‘Bloody Money’, making their way to both their newest singles ‘Candyman’ and ‘Dear Diary’, all gratefully received by the audience. They even tried out a new song, ‘Chants On Fire’, which they’d never played live before (“Like, never… I don’t even know how it goes“), which was equally well received.

At some point during the set, someone’s overpowering enthusiasm resulted in a broken bottle of whisky, causing everyone to mosh with admirable caution. Whether this was the cause of the blood that later covered the entire venue and pub upstairs, or whether it was the guy who braved a crowd surf despite the ceiling barely being taller than most of the audience, I don’t know. Darlia went on to play a couple more, before finishing with ‘Napalm’ and ‘Queen Of Hearts’. A couple of audience members who made sure to make themselves the loudest, dwelled on ‘Napalm’, forcing Darlia to continue playing it, just so they could sing it some more.

While Darlia have the potential to be a little bit “samey”, it works. The audience interaction is refreshing, and, if they stick to it, will definitely help Darlia in the long run.

Melissa Svensen

Melissa Svensen

Melissa, 22. Editor. Student, music journalist, probably talking about Blur or Bowie