The Moshville Times - Gig Review: Drones / Screech Bats / Silva – Sackler Space, London (3rd October 2018)

Drones are hotly tipped to be the next big thing in the alt/punk/rock world, and with tickets at just £5, I couldn’t up the opportunity to check them out at an intimate show at Sackler Space within London’s Roundhouse.

The first band to take to the stage were London-based indie-pop four-piece Silva. Esther provided dreamy guitar riffs that perfectly flowed with Sylvia’s hypnotic vocals and synth, whilst Kerstin kept the bass dark and groovy, and Shakira produced some of the best non-metal drumming I have seen in a long time. These girls were a joy to watch and were the perfect band to chill everyone out after a long day at work, and warm us up for an evening of female-dominated music.

Next up were another London four-piece all-girl band; Screech Bats, who emerged from the ashes of drummer Lexi and guitarist Kit’s previous band Hearts Under Fire, and includes Esme on vocals and Rio on bass. The girls played an awesome set including tracks such as “Get Better” from their 2018 EP Wish You Were Her, and “E.T” from their self-titled debut EP. Vocalist Esme explained to the crowd that the band’s set alternated between songs about death and songs about sex – nobody in the room seem to mind one bit. All four band put on really strong performances, particularly guitarist Kit who was hugely entertaining to watch and photograph and Lexi was an absolute powerhouse on the drums.

Last to hit the stage were tonight’s headliners Drones from London/St Albans. The raw power and emotion that vocalist Lois McDougall brought to her performance was captivating, and was perfectly backed up by the other band : Tim and Rob on guitar, James on bass and Mitchell on drums, who put everything into their performance. For me, Drones are an instantly likeable band and their sound straddles a few different genres, making them appeal to a wide range of music fans.

The band’s songs are hard-hitting and unapologetic, as well as being musically well-written and damn catchy – it isn’t hard to see why they are becoming so popular in the alt/punk/rock world. Tonight’s show was a special showcase for the band, and they certainly made great use of it. They treated the crowd to tracks from their 2018 album Exiled, as well as from their debut album Mutiny (2011).

Catch Drones playing the ‘About To Break’ showcase at Boston Music Room on 3 November – all the details here.

Photos by Katie Frost