LIVE: Civil Villains & Sweat Threats @ Aces and Eights, London, 06.07.18

Seeking refuge in the air-conditioned basement of Aces and Eights – after, of course, the football had finished – Artrocker hosted a night of noise, with Civil Villains and Sweat Threats.

For their first London show in almost two years, having spent time taking their sound further afield with a Pacific North-West tour last year, Civil Villains played with a dizzyingly unrelenting energy. Filling silences in their set with awkward – though undeniably funny – banter, but breaking the banter with raucous, complex songs; managing to welcome a crowd that though predominantly friends/family never once feels cliquey, but instead charmingly familiar, Civil Villains are, in all the best ways, oxymoronic. Balancing noisy, complicated (albeit incredibly fun) songs, with a witty charm, Civil Villains make for a great show. It’s clear why the US is falling for them.

Shortly after, Sweat Threats took to the stage, promising “22-and-a-half minutes” of fun. It seems short, but true to their word, Sweat Threats power through a set which seems to take little over 20 minutes. It doesn’t need to though, for in that time, the band pack in enough energy to rival an entire festival line-up. Despite the small stage, Sweat Threats didn’t shy away from head-banging their way through the set – though a bass to the face did nearly stop the fun – and seem to even surprise themselves with just how quickly they make it to the final song. And what a final song it is. After joking that they should play it half speed, Sweat Threats launch into the track in its true form – a ridiculously fast, cacophonous finale that shouldn’t be played any other way.

It was a short but sweet break from the sweltering heat wave, and one we’d happily repeat every Friday.

Melissa Svensen

Melissa Svensen

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