China Bears Bring an Unstoppable Force to Bodega: A Night of Indie Triumphs
Photo - Liv McCarthy
It's not often we get truly obsessed with a band, but China Bears are one of them. Ever since we discovered Participation Trophy, their latest album, we've become massive fans—so much so that they've even replaced Office Goth on my Coq Au Vin cooking playlist. The album is beautifully crafted, with every song feeling like an anthem and a musical triumph. If you haven't listened to it yet, stop reading this and put it on. No, seriously, stop. Open your music app, play it, and then come back to this review, we’ve even put together a playlist above so no fricking excuses.
Now, back to the gig. Doors were at 7pm, so I stopped off at The Angel for a quick pint before wandering up to The Bodega. I must admit, I haven't been there in a while, but it still oozes its signature coolness. Judging by the packed crowd, it's clearly still the go-to place to chill, relax, and, of course, catch some brilliant live music. Their music curation is second to none—well, maybe aside from ours... ha! Liv, our photographer, arrived, and we were ready to roll.
Kicking off the night was Sasha Assad, a three-piece indie rock outfit that had me grinning from the start. I managed to catch up with Sasha during a break—born in Notts but now based in London, they were the perfect opener. They started with Still, a 2-minute 27-second foot-tapper that immediately got the crowd engaged. The standout track, though, was Cherry Cola—a funky number with cheeky lyrics like “I don’t mind, she tasted fine.” They then roared into Frankenstein, which gave off major Kings of Leon vibes (think Molly's Chambers). After a few more tunes, they closed with Imagine Mary, their latest release, which is out now. Definitely give these guys a listen; we loved them.
Sasha Assad - Photo - Liv McCarthy
Next up were The Vigilantes, who came with the backing of BBC Radio 1’s Phil Taggart, who said, "There's good, then there's very good. They are very good." And he wasn't wrong. They opened with The Way It Ends, which only reinforced the hype, and breezed through tracks from their latest album Anthology, including Fall Into You, which gave us some serious Virtual Insanity by Jamiroquai vibes. They had the audience dancing away and earned themselves a big round of applause, with plenty of "whoop whoops" at the end of their set. They've got loads of gigs coming up, including one at The Drill in Lincoln, so be sure to check them out.
Vigilantes
Then it was time for the headliners. I had a quick chat with Ivan, who was standing in the crowd watching the other bands, which I thought was class. I may have gotten a bit excitable congratulating him on their album, but with music this good, who wouldn’t? They kicked things off with Total Communication Breakdown, a brilliantly written indie rock tune that immediately grabs your attention (I’ve got it on now as I write). The crowd was loving every moment. They followed with banger after banger, including Gracie, and ended with Participation Trophy. By the end, I had goosebumps. The applause was massive.
Liv and I hung around to grab some merch—naturally, I bought one of everything and had it all signed. Liv picked up a T-shirt, which she thought was pretty cool. The lads were kind enough to let us use some signed merch for a NottsRocks giveaway (so make sure you subscribe!).
After that, it was time to head out. The boys were hitting the road to play Birmingham tonight (9th Oct), so if you're at the Hare & Hounds, you're in for a treat. Drag your boo, your mates, your parents—whoever you can—and get down there, get tickets here.
These guys are a great band, and they're destined for even greater things.
