Saturday nights in Manchester are dedicated to partying, and that is no different tonight at Victoria Warehouse. Indie pop outfit Sea Girls promise an evening of unforgettable hooks and singalong anthems perfect for amping up your weekend to the Nth degree.
As the crowd successfully keep their energy up throughout the interval between acts singing along to the music playing, it is apparent that this will be a high energy night. Immediately once the lights drop, phone screens are raised to capture Sea Girls emerge from the depths of darkness. Shrouded almost imperceptibly in smoke, their silhouettes appear to a monumental roar. They open up with Damage Is Done, singer Henry Camamile takes prime spot atop a raised platform staring out into the crowd. “Can you feel it?” he challenges, and the room erupts. The audience appears to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the band, opening mosh pits in anticipation of choruses all the while singing and matching their energy. The level of care is reciprocated and is clearly a focus for the band who provide a wellness area for any crowd member needing it. “We’re all Sea Girls fans, here to mosh party have a good time and respect each other. No men fuck with girls at a sea girls show.” Camamile announces.
They switch up the energy of the room for a moment with the rest of the band leaving Camamile in solitude for a stripped back rendition of Transplant, with fans clambering on one another’s shoulders to accompany him. Too Much Fun returns us to usual proceedings of high energy pop, with the lyric “might as well jump” not going remised by the room as they willingly oblige. Guitarist Rory Young is an enthralling watch as he rarely stops jubilantly bouncing forward and back with his hair flowing all around. They promise to ramp things up, bundling headfirst into Why Won’t You Admit, during which a shoe is launched up onto the stage and quickly gathered by a crew member without missing a beat, perhaps he was in need of one. They end the set with Paracetamol Blues, before returning for an encore featuring slow swayer Daisy Daisy, before ending with fan favourites All I Want To Hear You Say and Call Me Out, phones aloft for both garnering the largest singalong moments of the night.
Connection, resonation, and empathy are traits that Sea Girls provide in bundles throughout the night. Camamile’s open style of lyrics about youth and relationships are a large cause of responding with the outfit, as there is rarely a moment that goes unsung by this crowd. These songs are taken to heart by so many in the room and means a great deal to them, as can be seen simply by the responses and number of those with tattoos dedicated to the four piece. They are a band well suited to Manchester, even remarking it as their “Spiritual home”. Having come all the way from playing at Manchester’s Deaf Institute, Sea Girls’ meteoric rise doesn’t look to be slowing any time soon.
