Tonight’s show at the Roundhouse in London is a very special ocassion. For the last 9 years The Big Moon have been quietly and confidently growing into one of the UK’s best bands and tonight we get to witness them come of age at their biggest ever headline show.
Opening with a spine tingling rendition of Wide Eyes from their latest album Here is Everything, they set the mood that the rest of the night follows. All four members are in a playful mood and there is an effortless confidence on display, as we celebrate all things The Big Moon. The setlist meshes the new and old together very well. Largely comprised of newer material, but we still get some fan favourites like Cupid, Take A Piece, a raucous Bonfire, and a sublime Formidable which starts out acapella in one of the sets more beautiful moments.
Tonight is not without surprises though as we get a three song suite composed of This Love, Satellites and 2 Lines featuring a three-piece string section, who also return for My Very Best during the encore. It’s an unexpected delight that showcases the maturity of their recent output as well as giving these newer songs additional emotional heft.
We get a further surprise in a Marika Hackman appearance for a run through of her single Boyfriend. It was a very cool moment to see them all sharing the stage together at a show of this significance.
One of the most significant things about tonights performance is the audience connection. Everyone is singing along, dancing and has smiles on their faces as long and as wide as the River Thames. The especially great thing is how The Big Moon can manage to give this evening the proper sense of ocassion it deserves while still taking those songs and making the show feel small, intimate and like everyone in the room is being personally serenaded. It’s a unique skill that lots of bands lose as their shows & audience get bigger, but not here, and it’s another reason why this particular band are so charming and resonate with so many, even moreso in the live arena.
From songs about uni nights in your early 20s and playing toilet venues to growing up before our very eyes the evolution of The Big Moon has been astonishing to witness. Even as everything gets bigger they have lost no sense of who they are or where they have come. Between, the production, surprises and a fan pleasing setlist are the same four individuals making music and playing it with a passion and energy that never seems to falter, it only seems to get better.
While this may be their biggest headline show to date, you have to think this really is only the tip of the iceberg and there is so much more to come for The Big Moon. Tonight was a triumph in every sense of the word and a timely reminder of how incredible live music is when bands get it perfectly right. 9/10
Photo Credit: Nick Allan
