Four nervous-looking school boys arrive at the bar (on time), absently arranging their set, eyes darting around the room. As they take over the floor, the Southampton quartet come face to face with an almost sold-out crowd; close enough to knock a few drinks right out of their hands. Their set kicks off with a distinctive take on classic indie guitar riffs and a heavy thrashing at the drums, Hit The Nerve soon gets the heaving crowd tapping their feet and the band come alive. They scream into their microphones, smash around the bar like they own it and stand on anything nearby that looks remotely sturdy. I start to worry for the guitarist in particular as he almost head butts his own instrument in a flourish of Sundays Children, a song that the young band seem just about able to keep control of.
'Bittersweetness' slows things down next and the vocals shine. A meaningful and eerie growl into the microphone echoes of Artic Monkeys and Milburn, obvious influences to the edgy lyrics and catchy guitar solos. They are now unrecognisable, no longer are they the youngsters playing with their older brothers’ guitars, as they launch into their final song and new single The Witch the crowd hangs on their every word...even if their singers’ voice isn’t quite broken yet...I can only imagine The Maddisons will get bigger and better with age.
Review by Hannah Tomlinson
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