All photos by Swathi Srinivasan
Every so often, I find myself on the DICE FM app, scrolling through upcoming live music events near Oxford. For gigs not held at my (awesome!) workplace, the O2 Academy Oxford, this usually means an Oxford Tube ride to London for performances by indie, rock, pop, and RnB acts ranging from the mildly obscure to the mainstream. Every so often, the app surprises me. This time, it was with tickets to a secret show by a band poised to dominate the indie rock scene: The Backseat Lovers.
Formed in 2018 after lead singer Josh Harmon met guitarist Jonas Swanson in line for an open mic night, the Backseat Lovers soon became a group of four, joined by drummer Juice Welch and bassist Ethan Christensen (who was later replaced by the band’s current bassist, KJ Ward). In 2019, Harmon, Swanson, Welch, and Ward emerged with a viral single, “Kilby Girl”, amassing millions of listens on Spotify and earning the Utah band a spot on the Billboard Rock & Alternative Airplay chart. [In fact, as I was sitting in the Trinity College café to write this very article, another one of the band’s hit singles, “Maple Syrup”, played from the building’s sound system — a testament to the indie/alt rock group’s ever-growing and justified international presence.]
Packed in London’s Omeara, a modest live music venue with a 320-person capacity, I manoeuvred my way through the crowd to join fellow photographers near the stage. Just a few months in the UK rock and festival scene had led me to recognize a handful of folks involved in music journalism, and I often looked forward to our serendipitous run-ins. As we positioned ourselves between eager fans and the smoke-filled stage, I thought back to the last time I saw the band — a fantastic concert at the Electric Brixton back in May 2022. Their energising concert left my train carriage chatting for over an hour.
At around 7pm — early for rock standards — the band took the stage enveloped in smoke and cheer. The crowd, laced with American accents, sang along as the band opened with “Close Your Eyes”, a single released in mid-September. Dressed in a lowkey SpongeBob skeleton tee shirt, Harmon entered into the zone, flipping his long, blonde hair as he jumped around the stage. After the first few songs, he broke out his classic grin, welcoming the crowd in his soft voice. The crowd audibly “awww”-ed as Harmon spoke excitedly about the energy in the room. The shock and humility in his voice reminded me of the garage band’s humble origins — I couldn’t help but smile with him.
The audience only grew louder as the band played fan favourites off their 2019 release When We Were Friends and songs like “Out of Tune” from their 2018 EP Elevator Days. Harmon even invited a fan from the audience, Will, to play the guitar for “Out of Tune”, leaving the room in awe. The energy in the room shook the floors, and the small-but-mighty crowd rivalled the energy level of audiences I’d seen at some of the largest festivals in Europe this past summer. I gleefully sang alongside friends as we belted our favourites.
As I remarked in the intimacy of the evening, I found myself excited for the performance of new tunes — songs which teased the release of the band’s October 26th album, Waiting to Spill. For obvious reasons, the audience was quieter than usual during songs off the new album, however the roars of applause that followed showed approval for the then-forthcoming release. Songs like “Know Your Name” develop from controlled beginnings to experimental electric guitar solos, consuming the venue. Between songs old and new, I marvelled at the band’s ever-growing versatility, marked by elements of jazz, indie, surf, and garage rock. While it is possible that the venue size influenced this sentiment, it felt as though the very way in which the band has carried itself on stage has evolved, even in the last six months.
In many ways, both the album and concert serve as metaphors for the evolution of the Backseat Lovers these past three years. It is clear from songs like “Slowing Down”, “Words I Used”, and “Growing/Dying” off Waiting to Spill that the tone and understanding of the band has changed. The music is both patient and demanding, quiet and out-spoken, reserved and confident. As I appreciated the live performance at Omeara, as well as the album release that followed, it became clear to me that this was not the same Backseat Lovers I saw back in May. This band…it has entered a new era.
As the band closed out its set and Harmon checked in with the audience (“everyone okay out there?” he often asked between songs), the audience clapped and cheered. In some ways, I think we all shared the understanding that this was a special moment. We may never see the band in this way again.
After the concert, I chatted with a few friends before heading to the Tube. On our walk, we saw Harmon grinning widely as he spoke with fans and signed their posters. “You have the kindest energy”, I told him. “Aw, thanks” he replied, smiling shyly. It’s hard to tell if Harmon knows his own power—the reach he has and the sheer trajectory towards stardom on which the band already found itself. After all, in March 2023, the band is set to play the O2 Kentish Town, a venue seven times the capacity of Omeara, as part of their twelve-country world tour. To no one’s surprise, the show is almost sold out.