Words and photos by Poppy Atkinson Gibson
The Great Hall of the SU was pretty full and getting fuller by the minute as Lauran Hibberd strode on stage with her statement pigtails and billowing pink dress. The crowd, who were steadily shuffling into position, were a mix of new out of the box fresher fans and clear long time lovers of Hibberd, which made for an interesting scattering amongst the mainly Sea Girls fans who were out in force in ripped jeans and plaid open shirts.
Hibberd kicked off her set with an energy that was surprising for the early evening of a Tuesday and maintained it until the very end. Despite some technical difficulties which she gracefully and hilariously skipped over with a few personal anecdotes about IBS and terrible ex-boyfriends, the set was smooth and bouncy.
With her grungy pop punk sound, reminiscent of the soundtrack to every classic Y2K chick flick she dutifully pumped up the crowd with fan favourites from her latest album, Garageband Superstar. Still Running (5k) was brilliantly performed and I preferred the live version to the studio recording, not least for its ability to get everyone shouting in unison to the chorus. That Was A Joke and Hole In The Head had the anger and electricity that Hibberd is known for and I was sorry to see her performance come to an end even though she finished aptly (and wittily) with Last Song Ever which felt like a nod to an inside joke between old friends.
Then of course, as there always is, there was the changing of the guard. Amps and guitars were changed, new band members warmed up and the crowd started to get a little restless, placated only by the Harry Styles playing over the speakers as Sea Girls shuffled into position.
When they did appear they jumped straight into it. In classic Sea Girls style the live set outshone their recorded material and Henry Camamile soon had the crowd chanting back the words. So much so, favourites such as Violet and Transplant were difficult to hear over the backing vocals of the crowd.
Camamile encouraged jumping, moshing and shouting and was met with a roar after admitting his love for Cardiff started after playing several gigs in Clwb Ifor Bach. The nod to CardiffÔÇÖs best indie performance venue was always sure to get people on his side.
The mood of the set list was energetic and exciting with a pause in the middle for some of the more mellow tracks such as Moving On. Sometimes the momentum was lost due to a few drawn out gutar solos courtesy of Rory Young, which whilst mind blowing at first became a little repetitive towards the end.
Overall, it was a delight to attend. Sea Girls certainly seemed to have a good time and IÔÇÖm excited to see them perform live again.
