Words by Joshua Wilson @IndieRocksUK
Through lack of unrelated events my evening was off to a moderately poor start. This hugely affected my mindset going into the gig – I was thrown into a state where the show would have had to be fairly spectacular to draw me in and impress me. I am so delighted to announce that it did this to an exceptional standard! From entering the venue I immediately began to cosy to the place, and when the support act began I felt more and more comforted by the moment. The atmosphere built from the beginning of their set, with an introduction from a very entertaining and welcoming opening band who perfectly paved the way for the following headlining act. Before progressing to the main band, I feel it right to give a shout-out to the opening band: ONR.
With such a fantastic opening act, there was even more pressure for Mondo Cozmo to impress – and they did this with ease! With a great foundation, they used the atmosphere to great effect and sculpted the show from something great to something monumental. The first thing that hit me was the sheer size of the sound – it was absolutely enormous and just seemed to get bigger and bigger throughout the entire set, but never in a way that was too dominating or even slightly too hard to take in. They showed a fantastic consideration for the feel of the show and the dynamic flow of the music – it felt like I was watching an artist complete a painting.
With years of experience gigging and watching other bands, both unsigned and hugely successful, I have noticed a difference in performance quality that undoubtedly comes with experience – this is often a hard thing for a small-scale act to understand and act on and many bands suffer for this in their early years, but I feel Mondo Cozmo had a good grasp on this and carried themselves very well on stage. The energy was tangible, being perpetuated heavily by the entire band – particularly the drummer and guitarist. With constant motion between the band members and a great sense of interaction and style, the band really gave a heavy impression of trust and acknowledgement of where they all were supposed to be. There was also a fantastic sense of style emanating from both the frontman and the bassist, and with their on-stage positioning, this greatly benefited the visual elements of the performance.
The key to performing a set is to remember that you’re providing entertainment to an audience, and I have no doubt that Mondo Cozmo understand this all too well, incorporating use of communication with the audience, on-stage movement and communication and showing considerable respect for the crowd and supporting act. The sound was on point, everybody played very well and it was clear throughout their performance just how much people began to warm to them – which is an incredible feat in an English city on a fairly moody day. I think a big part of this connection with the audience came from communication with people at the venue after the set as well. I spoke to a few people before and after the set and most claimed to be familiar with the band beforehand, with one example being a father and son who travelled from Derbyshire to support them! As I observed the venue clearing out afterwards, I saw the frontman making effort to communicate with people in the audience and it displayed a huge level of decency and respectability.
My final thoughts on the show are overwhelmingly positive on all fronts. The sound was far greater than I could have expected from such a small venue, they acted like true professionals both on and off the stage and the love from the fans was both deserved and reciprocated. This is my favourite kind of band to recommend because they hold an incredible balance of talent, potential, feel and humanity and when they achieve larger success, there won’t be a doubt in my mind that they really earned it.
Mondo Cozmo tickets available here
Website – mondocozmo.com
Facebook – /mondocozmo
Twitter – @MondoCozmo
Instagram – @mondocozmo
Soundcloud – /mondocozmo