What better way to beat the Sunday blues than by basking in some brilliant live music with a bunch of like-minded souls? That’s exactly what Blackstar Promotions put together for us to enjoy last weekend at the legendary Hope & Anchor in Islington.
The afternoon kicked off early with Tricky Susan, a London-based post-punk quintet serving up an original and energetic opener. Solid stuff to set the stage. Next up were Honeybadger, a relatively young Brighton outfit who bore more than a passing resemblance to Nirvana—both in style and sound. Their refreshingly raw rock, paired with some seriously slick guitar work, made them an act to watch. Definitely a band with bite.
The third act, Neovenator—named after a dinosaur, which might or might not be a warning—turned heads with their striking stage attire. Their drummer, clad in a ringmaster’s costume complete with fez, looked like he’d stumbled in from an entirely different show. The rest of the band, channelling 1920s gangster chic, didn’t exactly match, but hey, who needs cohesion when you’ve got charisma? Musically, they dished out some good, clean rock ‘n’ roll.
After a brief intermission—punctuated, as before every set, by Cherry B.’s cheekily risqué poetry readings—the venue started to fill up. Now it was time for the penultimate act: Headsticks from Stoke-on-Trent, setting the stage for the much-anticipated headliners, The Vapors. Active since 2012 and famed for their formidable frontman Andrew, who spits his rapid-fire lyrics like a punk preacher, they wasted no time launching into fan favourites like ‘What Do You Want’ and ‘Cold, Grey, English Skies’. The tightly packed crowd lapped it up, and by the time ‘My Own War’ rolled around, the whole room was in full singalong mode.
When Headsticks finally signed off with ‘Peace and Quiet’, it felt far more like a raucous Friday night than a lazy Sunday afternoon. Proof, if ever it were needed, that a cracking gig can shake even the most stubborn end-of-weekend slump.
With the sold-out venue now full to brimming the heat rose for headline act The Vapors. The intimate venue offers punters the chance to get up close and personal to their heroes and so it was tonight. Showcasing tracks from their latest album ‘Wasp In A Jar’ the four-piece kicked off with the first single from it ‘Hit The Ground Running’ and they did.
Original frontman Dave Fenton's vocals are still on point. Yes, the crisp guitar driven sound is routed in the pop/punk energy circa 79/80 but don’t be fooled into thinking that this album is just a rehash of old material. It’s a well crafted and musically cohesive work which impresses on every level. Founding member Steve Smith still driving forward on bass with Dave Fenton’s striking son taking over on lead guitar. The line-up is completed with Michael Bowes exemplary on drums.
One of my favourites ‘Nothing Can Stop Us’ drops just before the one we have all been waiting for, the classic ‘Turning Japanese’ which rightly thrills the audience. Other notable highlights from the new album are ‘Miss You Girl’, ‘The Human Race’ and ‘Forever and Ever’. ‘Here Comes the Judge’ b-side to ‘Turning Japanese’ brings the days proceedings to a triumphant close.
An afternoon and evening of delightful bands in what must surely be the best venue in London. Brilliant!
Setlist
Honeybadger
• Cold Wind
• Kias
• Gone Cold
• Spell It Out
• Too Slow
• Schmanka
• Maybe I
Neovenator:
• Launch Day
• Big Crown
• Soho Gardens
• Ollie Ollie Oxen Free
• Cats Away
• Beautiful Ship
• Spaceship
• Effing Bohemians
• Setting to the Buds
Headsticks:
• What Do You Want?
• Cold, Grey English Skies
• Dying For A Lie
• Miles And Miles
• Naked
• The God Song
• Cold
• Flatline Town
• Dark Waters
• My Own War
• Apocalypse
• Peace and Quiet
The Vapors:
• Hit the Ground Running
• Live at the Marquee
• Waiting for the Weekend
• Trains
• Decompression
• Jimmie Jones
• Forever and Ever
• Miss You Girl
• Together
• Wonderland
• Daylight Titans
• Nothing Can Stop Us
• Turning Japanese
• Letter From Hiro
• News at Ten
• The Human Race
• Here Comes the Judge
MUSIC PREMIERES
Lykke Li didn’t hold back when speaking about the making of her sixth studio album, ‘The Afterparty’, during a listening session in Los Angeles earlier this year. “Let’s talk about the album. It was a motherfucker to make,” she admitted to the crowd. While balancing motherhood, the chaos of modern culture shaped by Trump and AI, and her own desire to create something more “extroverted, impulsive and chaotic” than ‘EYEYE’, as she previously shared with NME, the Swedish alt pop star arrived at a headspace that “feels like it’s 4am and the sun is going to rise”. The record captures that blurry final moment before regret, exhaustion and reality settle in, which makes it even more emotional considering she has hinted this could potentially be her final album.
There is something fitting about how brief the project feels. With only nine tracks running across 24 minutes, it never overstays its welcome. Lykke immediately drops listeners into the atmosphere with opener ‘Not Gon Cry’, painting a picture of those lonely early morning hours with the line, “No angels here tonight, no dancing queens.” Alongside the shadowy pulse of ‘Happy Now’ and the twisted disco energy of ‘Lucky Now’, she revisits the emotional yet dance driven spirit of her earlier material while blending in the sharper, more confident attitude heard on ‘So Sad, So Sexy’ and the shimmering influence of her 2019 Mark Ronson collaboration ‘Late Night Feelings’.
The emotional fallout begins to settle in quickly. ‘Famous Last Words’ carries a lush orchestral sadness as Lykke reflects on lessons that only came after years of chaos and late nights, confessing, “I had to crash and burn to tell the tale.” Then comes ‘Future Fear’, a delicate acoustic track with robotic textures that stares directly into anxiety and uncertainty with the chilling question, “I’m going to a dark place, do you need anything?” Meanwhile, ‘So Happy I Could Die’ glows like sunrise after a sleepless night, holding onto fleeting moments as she sings about “slipping through the hourglass”.
Throughout the album, Lykke Li vividly captures the beauty and wreckage of reckless nights with the vulnerability that has always defined her music. On ‘Sick Of Love’, she channels heartbreak into revenge, wanting to “make you beg for it” after rejection in a way that feels spiritually connected to Robyn’s ‘Dancing On My Own’. One of the strongest moments arrives with ‘Knife In The Heart’, a track that fully embraces her desire to become the “rock god” and “fuck boy” she spoke about, firing back at anyone who tries to tear her down with the words “you can spit, you can walk on me” while delivering one of the catchiest songs she has created in years.
Closing track ‘Euphoria’ leaves behind the same bittersweet feeling that runs through the rest of the album. With sweeping strings, pulsing beats and emotional intensity, Lykke Li reminds listeners that nothing lasts forever as she sings, “Player play your song, waste the night away”. Like the fading energy of the perfect night out, ‘The Afterparty’ ends in a haze of beauty and uncertainty. If this truly is her farewell, she leaves with one final intoxicating statement, though it still feels like there could be another chapter waiting.
