By Henry Regan
Having been on tour round Europe and the UK for the past two weeks, TV Priest were back in London, for a very special hometown show.
Although there were tube strikes, this did not stop people coming in their masses to Scala. The King’s Cross venue known for hosting a number of phenomenal up and coming bands, and TV Priest could now be on that list.
Support came from Fraulein and Modern Woman, both producing excellent sets, to an increasingly big crowd. Fraulein kicked us off, at the very early 19:50, to only about 15 or so people. The Bristol based duo, gave us bluesy and grungy guitar riffs, thumping drum beats, and a set packed full of energy.
It wasn’t just a hometown show for TV priest, but also for Modern Woman. By this point the venue had started to fill up and there was a good reception for the London-based band. Their set was varied, with the band regularly changing instruments, sometimes even mid song. Their bassist also played saxophone, whilst their synths player also played the violin, percussion and the bass at times. Their songs were a mix of post-folk, art pop and indie rock, and had a horror film style aesthetic about it. I am not sure I had been this impressed with a set of support bands, particularly Modern Woman, for a long time.
By this point, the Scala dance floor was pretty packed and the crowd were very excited for the headliners. From only playing one gig prior to lockdown, TV priest are now two albums deep, and have a big following. They are another band showing us that the post-punk revolution has clearly made its mark on the music industry. Every song of their setlist was met with the same phenomenal reception, but particular favourites were ‘Press Gang’ and ‘Decoration’
TV Priest have a few more UK gigs and then a final few in Europe for 2022. If you need an excuse to go and see some live music, TV Priest are an excellent one.
