South Arcade have had a phenomenal year.
A little over a year ago, I spoke to the band about their new single and upcoming tour, during which they packed out the now previous version of Boom club in Leeds. As rammed as it was, it was still a relatively small venue, a stage squeezed into the end of the room, and very little space to move in front of it.
A year on, and we’re now at the 1000 cap Stylus which is, again, packed to the rafters with their ever-growing fan base. Coming off the back of a festival season which saw them on the main stage at Reading and Leeds, and selling out headline dates in the US, the Oxford-based four piece are riding a massive wave into Leeds tonight.
Fans are in early, some eagerly queuing at the merch stand while other race for the barrier. The room has a youthful feel, blending Gen Z and Alphas, all fired up by South Arcade’s masterful grip of their socials. Tearing straight into Fear of Heights, the band crash on to the stage full of febrile energy, bouncing, jumping and with lead singer Harmony Cavelle high-kicking into the chorus. The crowd reflect that enthusiasm right back at the band, as they relentlessly fly through Supermodels and Nepo Baby.
The main stage summer has allowed them to polish their performance, and they are putting all that experience to good use, commanding the room from the barrier to the balcony bar. Guitarist Harry Winks orchestrates the crowd into energetic mosh pits from the start, setting the bar that they want their fans to reach for the rest of the night.
By the time we reached the monster closing triptych of Riptide, Stone Cold Summer and 2005, the social media feed-frenzy hit its peak with phones aloft alongside crowd surfers gliding across the surging crowd beneath them. It’s all part of their growing stage-craft, knowing just what their crowd need and taking it to a crescendo before sending them out, fizzing with genuine excitement and shared euphoria.
Couple that to the band’s Y2K-core, glossy aesthetic is nailed on for this crowd, who are eagerly consuming everything the band throw at them, live or on TikTok. They’re the epitome of a band on an inevitable rise, fuelled by their content-curated fan base. South Arcade are expertly walking the tightrope between high-polish socials and creating an undeniable atmosphere, the kind that reminds you why we love live music so much.
