Review: Marsicans | UK Headline Tour + Abbie McCarthy's Good Karma Club | Dingwalls

One year on from their headline at Leeds’ The Wardrobe last year, Marsicans are  embarking on a full-scale national headline tour, including a 500-cap show at London’s Dingwalls – an iconic milestone for bands.  

Marsicans have had a whirlwind year, including an Academy tour supporting Fickle Friends in October 2018, where they found themselves playing a set at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. They also bagged a spot at the Radio 1 stage at Reading & Leeds, and are set to play o2 Academy in Leeds for next month’s Live at Leeds.

Last week’s headline show saw London fans experiencing the band’s first live play of songs from their upcoming debut album to be released later in the year. Of course, their latest releases ‘Pop Ups (Sunny on the Weekends),’ ‘Suburbs,’ and quieter ones like ‘Wake Up, Freya’ were included in the mix, and 2MillionX streamed song ‘Too Good.’ The tour proved to be one of the slickest live sets they’ve played, as every element from the glamorous multi coloured lighting to the Camden underground venue made that was made purely for guitar music contributed to the adrenaline-fuelled night.

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The Friday night crowd made of of late teens and 20-somethings had everything from crowd surfing to mosh pits, and never failed to sing along either. The band is just at that level where they can play big venues but still make it a personal night for the fans, interacting with their audience and making the effort to meet fans afterwards.

Abbie McCarthy’s (BBC Introducing Kent, Radio 1, Channel 4) independent platform Good Karma Club provided the support slots. An innovative way of booking support bands, and one of the first set ups of its kind, Good Karma Club organised different bands to take the support slot for each city. This included the likes of Childcare in Southampton, Swimming Girls in Bristol, and in London, Lucia and Only Sun took the stage.

Lucia have toured tirelessly over the last few months to build a fan base across the world, presenting an aesthetic drawn together by their visuals as well as their music, releasing new track ‘Blueheart’ just a couple of months ago.  Only Sun embarked on the tour shortly after their Islington Thousand Island headline, as the High Wycombe band do away with the influence of miserable England and bring a sunny Southern Californian vibe to their music, perfectly complimenting Marsicans’ bright pop to follow.

A night made special by the community who curated it, and the community of the Marsicans fans and McCarthy’s contributions, Marsicans and Good Karma Club still have dates left in Glasgow and Newcastle at the end of the week that are not to be missed!

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