poppedmusic

The Grace, London – 31.01.2024

Words: Amy Butcher & Photos: Max Nicoll

A low hum of anticipation settles at Highbury’s The Grace, as Big Flame by Doris Wilson protrudes throughout the small intimate venue (clearly a nod to the new drum skin on stage), signifying Indoor Pets’ return to the live music scene after a four year hiatus.

With lockdown came a stand still in live music and the music industry in general, and over the last year or so it’s now feeling like it’s back and (hopefully) better than ever. Having sold out their London show in the pre sale and released a ferocious grungier new single London (Love To Hate) a couple days before, for Indoor Pets this was an exciting week!

Highly anticipating their return, we had to wait a little longer to see them perform, as we were introduced to up and coming new band Carpark, our warm up for the evening. Coming off of a support slot with The Libertines, the trio delivered an energetic, fun set which got the crowd moving and amped up ready for the main event.

It was finally time for Indoor Pets to take to the stage, and met with an eruption of cheers and claps, they launched into Pro Procrastinator – soon the room was filled with chants to the catchy lyrics ‘I’m wasting my life’. Ferocious guitar riffs, addictive bass lines, tight drum beats and powerhouse vocals from singer Jamie filled The Grace – this did not seem like the live performance of a band who have been on a break, it was anything but!

I’ve been a fan of Indoor Pets for so long that I remember when they brought out band tea towels, sold foam fingers of Jamie’s Hand and I saw them sell out London’s Scala. So when they treated us to fan favourites Hi, Barbiturates and Teriyaki, myself and the gig goers around me couldn’t control or hide our excitement!Screaming the lyrics (to the point where I thought I’d lose my voice) and dancing with everyone felt so nostalgic to the band’s gigs before.

We were also given sneak peeks into some of the new stuff they’ve been working on. If you’ve not heard their latest single yet, it seems Indoor Pets are moving into a grittier sound in comparison to their debut Be Content – the unreleased tracks confirmed this, especially during Fidget Panic Restless Static. Weighty bass mixed with the gutsy guitar and loud drums had the whole room head banging in time; it was this that gave us a renewed high energy stage presence from the four piece, based on our response to the new sound.

For my first gig of 2024, the bar has been set high and having Indoor Pets back in full force is magic: they’re already marking their territory on the music scene again. I cannot wait for what’s to come this year for them, and fingers crossed they release a new music/album soon!

Check out Indoor Pets’ latest single London (Love To Hate) , which features on our Popped Picks January playlist here.