SHE DREW THE GUN + PAIGE KENNEDY – REVENGE, BRIGHTON 22.2.25
We were back again at Revenge for the second time to watch live music. The last time we were here was for the ‘Mutations Festival’ when the venue was filled with the great and the good of the music industry and many up-and-coming musicians. This time, the room had an impressive number of faces from the local industry again. They were here, at this event organised by Love Thy Neighbour, to see up-and-coming musician Paige Kennedy support the headliner She Drew The Gun.
She Drew The Gun is a psych-pop band fronted by songwriter Louisa Roach. Their music is influenced by ’80s electronica, hip-hop, political poetry, and cosmic Scouse psychedelia distilled into ‘Psych-Pop’.
Since 2013, Roach has developed the solo project into a five-piece group (with a few lineup changes) to become the sharp outfit that took the stage at Revenge. Along the way, they have toured the UK extensively, including joining the 2016 tour supporting Jeremy Corbyn’s bid to become Prime Minister. The same year, the band was chosen from a 120-long list for Glastonbury’s Emerging Artists Competition; of the eight finalists, the band won prize money and a slot on the John Peel Stage. They played at the SXSW Festival the following year before returning for a UK tour. They also enjoyed frequent radio plays on BBC Radio 6 Music.
Roach is a natural performer with deft delivery and finely honed stagecraft. The set was peppered not with the expected audience interaction between songs but with spoken word performances bleeding into successive tracks. The delivery of the spoken word was as impassioned as the song delivery. There’s an element of the political provocateur running through everything the band do, from the lyrics and bridging oration to the delivery and occasional audience interaction. While this may not be to everyone’s taste, it couldn’t be more timely or more welcomed by the audience gathered at Revenge, including our team.
None of this distracted from the collective talent of the band themselves. They’re a tight outfit, every musician accomplished in their field, their delivery slick and polished, but retraining the healthy grittiness as an ensemble. Everyone had their moments to shine without derailing the collective. As we stood stage right, next to the guitarist Jimmy Moon, we were treated to an up close and personal experience of his deft skills. He moved through various styles effortlessly, adding his flare and flourish exactly when needed. That is not to say that the rest of the band were less talented; they are an impressive collective that would bring something unique to any band.
On the night, there wasn’t a weak track in the set. Every song resonated from the first to the last. Stand-out tracks from the album, ‘Howl’ released in late ’24, included the title track, ‘Became’, the opening track of the night, which the band went straight into without preamble, ‘Conjuring’, which wove its magic through the gathered crowd, and ‘Ritual’, which again felt more like a spell casting than simple performance. While listening to the album before the live performance, I was reminded of Billy Nomates. However, live, there’s a different energy and grittier vocal tone from Roach. They will probably appeal to the same audience, ‘She Drew The Gun’, however, was more immersive gradually drawing the audience into a collective experience, which was a truly joyous and invigorating start to our first live music event of the year. Both acts set a high bar for all that follow.
She Drew The Gun:
Louisa Roach – lead vocals and guitar
Jimmy Moon – guitar
Abbi Phillips – drums, percussion and backing vocals
Lucy Styles – keyboards, synth, guitar and backing vocals
Jack Turner – bass, lead guitar and backing vocals
She Drew The Gun setlist:
‘Became’ (from 2024 ‘Howl’ album)
‘Origin Song’ (from 2021 ‘Behave Myself’ album)
‘Spoken Word Interlude’
‘Washed In Blue’ (from 2024 ‘Howl’ album)
‘Spoken Word Interlude’
‘Conjuring’ (from 2024 ‘Howl’ album)
‘What’s The Matter’ (from 2024 ‘Howl’ album)
‘Spoken Word Interlude’
‘Mirrors’ (from 2024 ‘Howl’ album)
‘Spoken Word Interlude’
‘Shine On’ (from 2024 ‘Howl’ album)
‘Spoken Word Interlude’
‘Ritual’ (from 2024 ‘Howl’ album)
‘Spoken Word Interlude’
‘Howl’ (from 2024 ‘Howl’ album)
‘Cut Me Down’ (from 2021 ‘Behave Myself’ album)
‘Behave Myself’ (from 2021 ‘Behave Myself’ album)
‘Class War (How Much)’ (from 2021 ‘Behave Myself’ album)
‘Next On The List’ (from 2021 ‘Behave Myself’ album)
‘Resister’ (from 2018 ‘Revolution Of Mind’ album)
‘Something For The Pain’ (from 2018 ‘Revolution Of Mind’ album)
‘Poem’ (from 2016 ‘Memories Of The Future’ album)
‘Out’ (unreleased)
‘Panopticon’ (from 2021 ‘Behave Myself’ album)
We arrived at Revenge and found Kennedy sound-checking last year’s ‘Lingerie Model’ earworm. The track has been on our playlist ever since its 2024 release. We missed them on the eponymous tour and were pleased to find out they were the night’s support.
Kennedy is an artist and producer from Kent who is now based in Manchester. Their music is influenced by funk, electronic, dance, and indie and distilled into a unique brand of hook-laced alt-pop. As well as regularly gigging around Manchester pre-pandemic, they have had a 6 Music Recommends track, been played on six different BBC 6 Music shows, and performed a live session for BBC Introducing Manchester.
If you, like us, have been following Kennedy on social media, you’ll know that they have been documenting the tour and their journey before and after. They produced many different shorts to promote the track and single ‘Lingerie Model’ in various locations, primarily toilets, if I recall? Their comedic edge, which underscores their lyrics, draws the listener in and plants a smile firmly on their face.
Starting slightly later than advertised, Kennedy performed solo with a backing track and a guitar. Their musical performance is slick, humorous, engaging and practised. Between songs, they ad-libbed with the audience, delivering clever, off-the-cuff banter (mostly about Amnesty International watching the live act, as an enthusiastic audience member just next to us was wearing an Amnesty International T-shirt). They also got everyone standing on the riser on stage right to deliver equally enthused dancing, even getting our photographer and I to join in, which is no mean feat in itself.
The first track up was ‘This Is The Girl’; right off the bat, Kennedy delivered her trademark catchy hooks, always polished, always up-lifting. One of the many things which warm the listener to Kennedy’s composition is their ability to deliver witty observations about life, concealing a message on occasion wrapped up in humour. This is where the connection between the support act and the headliner is keenest; they love and excel in word craft. Both have also enjoyed extensive play on BBC Radio 6 Music, which you can tell from the audience.
Kennedy’s tracks make the listener want to get up and dance; they’re perfect for a night out, and many scream for remixing into clubbier tracks. That’s not to say they aren’t sufficiently ‘dancey’ in their own right. Kennedy actively encouraged the audience to get up and dance, which they took to heart and excitedly obliged as the set went on. The sound was (unusually for Revenge) on point. Whether this was down to the artists, a sound engineer they had with them, or a new sound engineer at the venue, we were unsure; either way, it was a marked improvement on our last visit.
Standouts from Kennedy’s set included the opening track ‘She’s The One’, ‘What Does Your Girlfriend Think?’, and of course, the catchy as hell earworm ‘Lingère Model’, which we defy you not to engage with and play on repeat immediately. As a one-person act, Kennedy’s charm is that you want to like them as soon as they’re on stage. Their ability to connect is disarming, down-to-earth and fun. Ensure you catch them live before it gets difficult, as they’re definitely on the up.
Paige Kennedy:
Paige Kennedy – vocals, guitar, backing track
Paige Kennedy setlist:
‘This is the Girl’ (from 2022 ‘This Is The Girl!’ single)
‘????’
‘Love You From A Distance’ (from 2023 ‘Love You From A Distance’ single)
‘What Does Your Girlfriend Think?’ (from 2024 ‘Baby Lotion’ EP)
‘Familiar’? (unpublished) turned down by BBC6
‘Life In Fear’ (from 2024 ‘Baby Lotion’ EP)
‘Another Heaven’? (from 2024 ‘Baby Lotion’ EP)
‘Tina’ (unpublished)
‘Fingers’ (unpublished)
‘He Is’? (from 2023 ‘He Is’ single)
‘Lingerie Model’ (from 2024 ‘Baby Lotion’ EP)
