Victory Lap and Grain Mother at Bodega
Victory Lap - Images by Liv McCarthy
Victory Lap have firmly established themselves as one of the hottest bands on the scene right now. They’re a tight-knit group of friends who’ve managed to carve their own unique sonic path, while paying respects to the legends of old, fusing the past and future into a sound of their own. They recently completed a UK tour, and it seemed to fuel their Bodega headline show, making it the ultimate Victory Lap—a full spectrum celebration of their music. To make this show even more special, they showcased the evolution of their sound through a new lens, with the addition of a new violinist and cellist, Alice Robbins, fully expanding the performance and depth of this spectacular show.
Grain Mother
Grain Mother
Alice Robbins is clearly a multi-talented artist, first fronting her own band, Grain Mother, before joining the headliners, Victory Lap, as their cello player. This really impressed me, as it’s definitely something you don’t often see. Grain Mother’s sound immediately struck me as unique and interesting, with lyrics that pull you in and synth melodies that surprised me, blending seamlessly with their shimmering guitars. Their new track Coven stood out as a very explorative sound, and I can’t wait to hear it once it’s officially released. Their set flowed beautifully, creating a calming effect that was incredibly enjoyable. A huge standout for me was Disgrace, a song that snaps you out of the dreaminess and throws you into raw, angry, heavy moments of pure release. I loved it—particularly with the brave honesty of lyrics like “I fucked it again,” set to fuzzed-out, angular guitars, adding depth and powerful emotion to their set before returning you to the warmth of their trancelike melodies. I’d love to hear more songs from this band with this style—the contrast and dynamics were brilliant in this tune. Alice’s voice is truly incredible, and this was highlighted when she showed yet another side of her musical talent by walking over to the piano for Peripatetic. This recent single has a delicate, beautiful sound, with a wonderfully soft vocal from Alice and intricate guitar work and vocal harmonies from Cameron Worne. This was the perfect choice for main support, and I’ll definitely be looking out for future releases and shows from Grain Mother.
Victory Lap
With the stage perfectly set by Grain Mother, the crowd were buzzing with excitement for the main event. Victory Lap took to the stage with an air of confidence and excitement, to the delight of the impressively packed-out audience they’d gathered for their biggest show yet. From the first song, it was clear how finely tuned the band has become, and that they’ve reached a new level. Frontman Tomas’ vocals and stage presence were brimming with passionate energy, letting his poetic lyrics shine bright. He was clearly in his element on that stage, and it showed. In a live setting, their perfectly interwoven guitar and piano melodies became even clearer and more emotionally powerful, with the rock-solid rhythm section providing clockwork precision and professionalism to proceedings. Their first-ever single Jealousy remains a favourite of mine, and with the beautiful string section added live, it became even more stunning than usual. Sincerely Yours was another standout, with its clever use of strings—a great addition to Victory Lap’s sound, which I hope can be replicated at future shows.
Soon, their show reached an exciting crescendo, with the perfectly named ending track, Show Is Over, bringing the crowd to shout for an encore. The band gladly delivered, playing the well-chosen track Faults to the Silver Screen, which encapsulated their wide-ranging sound in one final blast, before taking a bow and waving goodbye to their ecstatic crowd. This was certainly a moment that will go down in their history, proving their place as true headliners and opening the door to further evolution and progression of their sound and stage show. I, for one, am extremely excited for the future of this band and can’t wait to hear some of the newer songs debuted at the show. Viva Victory Lap!