On a chilly October night, I took off to see one of my favourite artists: the alternative rock, Oxford-based band ‘South Arcade’. While I’m not used to going to concerts by myself, I was excited to see a group up close in a local venue (The Dome, Tufnell Park) – a cosier setting than the arenas and stadiums I have attended in the past.

The group started with their hit ‘DANGER’ which brought the energy from early on. It was clear that each and every member of the band was a performer; guitarists Harry and Ollie didn’t miss the opportunity to sing along with the crowd, with vocalist Harmony singing straight out and interacting with members of the audience.

They then played ‘Nepo Baby‘, which was released earlier this year, followed by older tracks like ‘Bigger Than Anything Ever’ and ‘Change Your Mind’. ‘Sound of An Empty Room’ came on with a new, slower start, before descending into a fast-paced track that the crowd came alive for, and an impromptu round of ‘Happy Birthday’ for bassist Ollie!

This show (the largest of South Arcade’s career) marks the conclusion of the group’s headline tour ‘I Was Here First’, which was sold out across the UK and included Oxford’s very own ‘The Bullingdon’. A combination of the group’s spin on a nostalgic nu metal sound and their use of social media, namely TikTok, is refreshing and has attracted a wide audience. The group admitted that playing a show this large was ‘terrifying’ but it wasn’t apparent – they commanded the stage with confidence and prowess.

As a regular concert-goer, this one is high up in my rankings. The show brought an intimacy that recent concerts have missed. Want to go to the loo after the show? Drummer Cody is next to the door, signing shirts. Want to buy some merch? Bassist Ollie is behind the table.

The venue allowed more casual fans to linger around the outside, and left the centre for the proper party – even a mosh pit at some points. The setlist included recent singles such as ‘HOW 2 GET AWAY WITH MURDER’ and ‘stone cold summer’, older hits such as ‘New Fever’, and two unreleased songs ‘At the Lights’ and ‘Moth Kids’ (my personal favourite).

As someone who barely reaches 5’ 2”, standing shows are often a nightmare for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself despite the brevity of the setlist. And thus comes my only issue with the evening: it was simply too short! The group may not have tons of songs yet, but I wasn’t ready for the concert to end when it did.

For a great evening out for a mere £12.50, I would definitely recommend it. I don’t think it’s long until we’ll see South Arcade playing in much larger venues, arenas even, as guitarist and producer Harry told me after the show.