The Lounge Society tour, September 2022

◡̈ Lia Qin
Oct 26, 2022
3 min read

Updated: Dec 18, 2022

Words & Photos by Akiyuki Kurayama (pseudonym) & Lia Qin

ree — The Lounge Society at Float Along festival

“I’ve been seeing their name EVERYWHERE so I had to go see it for myself. And the festival set wasn’t enough, so I went to see more, and more”. This was what I explained to my friend about why I had to see The Lounge Society three times in a week. And I meant it: their live was addicting.

ree — Hani & Herbie at Gorilla, Manchester

Being very honest, The Lounge Society to me was one of those bands that I’ve heard of but never had the chance to check them out. However, ever since they launched the latest album Tired of Liberty, it’s becoming quite hard to ignore them any longer – as said, I’ve been seeing/hearing their name quite literally everywhere. Whether it was on the record store shelf, social media feeds, Spotify playlists, conversation with friends, and from my favourite band.

Having the curiosity of finding out who they really were, I went to the Sheffield multi-venue festival Float Along with a friend (who had already seen them and liked them) last month. And I was mesmerised when this up-and-coming band was playing. It was so interesting to see the three members in the front effortlessly passing around their instruments throughout the gig and everyone got the spotlight at some point. Even for untrained ears like mine, it was clear that they were equal in this band; all the instruments played their roles with strong characters. I could easily picture the scene of them jamming, making new music and just having fun after school. There’s no obvious frontman, just a group of friends.

The set was packed with surprises and it finished before I even realised it. I knew I’d see them again before I left the room. Luckily, the Sheffield festival was only The Lounge Society’s first stop on this tour. We soon decided to see them again the next day in Nottingham. And very impulsively went to Manchester for one more show later in the month. The friend I went to the gigs with, Akiyuki, who is much more knowledgeable and better at reviewing music than me, has kindly shared some of her thoughts on The Lounge Society:

Unlike many bands, The Lounge Society doesn't have a fixed bass or guitar player. They swapped instruments with each other on stage a few times. It was a pleasure to watch how the same instruments were played in different hands, comparing each member's control of the instrument and playing style. No one was redundant and you could clearly hear the three instruments in their respective roles live, intertwined equally and in an orderly manner with each other live. Lead singer Cameron's manic dancing was the antithesis of this order, as he threw himself into his world with a forgetfulness that was very infectious in its outbursts and immersion. Their drummer, Archie, was undoubtedly too good to be replaced - under his control, precise and fast beats are pounded out accurately. You suddenly realised that their musical prowess is in stark contrast to their youthful looks.

The performance itself was not just about the songs, either, as designed details and improvised interludes are interspersed, adding an unexpected dimension to the expected songs. The set began with a smooth transition from a gradually accelerating intro to the first song, 'Cain's Heresy', and towards the end of the set, a marching procession of stronger and faster drums and a chorus from all three members brought the set to its peak before ending abruptly with vocalist Cameron sticking his guitar on the floor upside down.

ree — Herbie & Cameron at Gorilla, Manchester

At under 20 years of age, they show technical and arranging ability beyond their peers, and one can only wonder what the next stage of their performance will be.

As much as I enjoyed all the shows I went to on this UK tour, I couldn’t help to notice that the set didn’t always gather the momentum it deserved. This perhaps was due to the slightly disjointed nature of TLS’s music, or the little to no interaction between the band and audiences. The boys clearly wanted the response from fans because they got visibly more excited at Manchester Gorilla, which had the best crowd of the three gigs we went to.

ree — A crowd surfer at Gorilla, Manchester

It was lovely to see the band showing up at the merch stand after (although the t-shirts never arrived until much later in the tour), meeting with people, taking photos, and signing things. While their music is spiky and fiery, they’re nothing but warm and genuine boys off stage.