TALK SHOW + PETER XAN + KNIVES – THE OLD BLUE LAST, LONDON 20.3.25
The Great Escape festival and The Old Blue Last, which can be found at 38 Great Eastern Street in London, have united together to bring punters a trio of new music events in order to showcase an array of new talent who are set to make 2025 their own and who will be performing in Brighton at this May’s Great Escape. On Thursday 30 January they hosted Blood Wizard, Gus Tiramani and The Slow Country, then on Thursday 20 February they had Route 500, Raelle, and Van Zon. This evening it’s the turn of Talk Show, Peter Xan and Knives and so we travelled up to The Old Blue Last to see what the trio of acts had to offer.
First up it was Knives who are a band that exists within chaos and, in a short time, have shown what is possible when you bottle it. From punishing bouts of hardcore fury to gritty flourishes of post-punk intensity, loose strands of quick-witted alt-rock to shimmering waves of free-flowing experimental jazz, the eventually assembled sextet proclaimed to leave no stone unturned, unafraid of leaping over boundaries in pursuit of covering previously uncharted ground.
Knives take to the stage and instantly everyone is hooked! Their sound is like a heavier version of Idles and a hint of Rage Against The Machine, as well as hardcore influences. The band tore around the stage throughout their set with bassist Ben constantly jumping and kicking like a man possessed. Knives set is brutal and there’s no disappointed faces in the crowd. At one point vocalist Jay notices a gig goer singing/ shouting every word and Jay points out that this is the first time he’s spotted this outside of a hometown gig. I suspect that it won’t be long before they’re playing much bigger venues with everyone shouting his lyrics back at him. Towards the end of the set Jay gets a tad thirsty, so he leaves the stage and heads to the bar to get a drink. If you’re attending this year’s Great Escape festival in Brighton, then I strongly recommend that you check out this exciting band.
Knives:
Jay Schottlander – vocals
Josh Cook – guitar
Dan Farren – guitar
Ben Marshall – bass
Erin Cook – drums
Izzi Allard – sax
Knives setlist:
‘Happiness’
‘The Dagger’
‘Ninety-Eight’
‘Sadness’
‘You Think You Know’
‘Rhinestone Cowboy’
‘PHD’
‘Headcase’
‘Newshounds’
‘I Hope You Get It’
‘Doppelganger’
‘Eat Thy Neighbour’
Peter Xan has been making music for several years, but it wasn’t until 2020 – when the whole world suddenly had some more thinking time on their hands – that he began to re-think his trajectory. “Lockdown made me reflect on who I am and what I want to be spending my time doing,” he says. “When you’re growing up you often get this homogenised culture where you listen to certain types of music just to fit in but that leads to making stuff that you just don’t really believe in.” So instead, Xan delved back into the indie music that he truly loved – but had to hide – when growing up, which re-energised and rejuvenated him to create something that was a purer representation of himself.
While Xan may have been connecting with a distinctly British style of guitar music growing up, he was also deeply absorbing the music, culture and language (Yoruba) linked to his own Nigerian heritage. “When I went to school it was London, when I got home it was Lagos”.
As Peter Xan (and his chums) take to the stage it’s pretty obvious that they’ve brought in a lot of fans tonight and that he is already gathering a following of eager fans, who pack out the front of stage to get a closer look. His sound does tend to remind me a lot like a rockier version of Bloc Party. Being primarily a photographer, I note that Peter is very photogenic whilst on stage and he willingly plays up to the several cameras (including mine) that are dotted around the front row, whilst at the same time teasing his female followers. The gig feels like a community as the band share their rider’s drinks amongst the crowd. Peter spends most of the gig using the lighting rig and speakers to lean over the crowd, and so get closer to the throng. However, there was one mishap when the speaker he was perched on got knocked off stage causing him to fall on the floor, which looked very painful, but as a true warrior Peter gets himself up and dusts himself off and continues the gig as if nothing happened. Here’s another act for you to check out this coming May at The Great Escape.
Peter Xan:
Peter Xan – vocals
Elliot Frampton – drums
Elizabeth Wick – bass
Mezzo – electric guitar
Noel – electric guitar
Peter Xan setlist:
‘Hostage’
‘Empty Space’
‘Shadow Ban’
‘Abdicate’
‘For The Weekend’
‘Pressure’
‘Happy Birthday’
‘Rejection Anthem’
‘Use Cube’
Since their debut release, Talk Show have gone from strength-to-strength, capturing the imagination of new and existing fans alike with their unique pairing of raw, punk-inspired delivery, with melodic elements that hark to influences including The Cure. Offering up an exhilarating live show that pairs the stomping, brooding focus of Swann, with the wild, escapist energy of drummer Chloe MacGregor, bassist George Sullivan and guitarist Tom Holmes, Talk Show have well and truly set themselves aside as a band that mean business. In their short time as a band to date, they have already performed throughout the UK and Europe in support of artists including Fontaines D.C., Squid, Fat White Family, Crows, The Murder Capital, Black Country New Road and Pip Blom. The band have also brought their unmissable live show to a host of festivals around the UK including The Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City, Dot to Dot and Visions Festival.
By the time Talk Show took to the stage, the venue had filled up rather nicely. It’s fair to say that this outfit didn’t disappoint, and they started at 100mph and ripped through the songs in superb fashion. I noted that a fair few of attendees were belting out every word back at the band. Talk Show are a band with varied influences and thus it’s hard to pigeonhole their overall sound, but I highly recommend them if you’re a fan of post punk, Squid and big basslines. Having said that, there is also a dark dance vibe to a lot of the band’s songs which is captivating! The band are very tight live and bassist George also hits his drum machine throughout the gig, which makes it even more impressive, since he’s holding a drumstick whilst playing those big basslines.
Frontman Harrison and the band make good use of the small stage by dancing and moving around spectacularly. You can tell that Harrison is fully invested in the music as he’s drenched in his own sweat and so forcing him to take his top off. The set is outstanding, and by the end they have the venue in the palm of their hands. The crowd forms a moshpit which Harrison dutifully joins. One thing I love about The Great Escape is finding new music and tonight is no different. I highly recommend all of tonight’s acts if you’re attending this year’s festival in Brighton this May.
Talk Show:
Harrison Swann – vocals
Tom Allen – lead guitar
George Sullivan – bass
Chloe Macgregor – drums
Talk Show setlist:
‘Oh! You’re! All! Mine!’
‘Cold House’
‘Got Sold’
‘Red/White’
‘Born Running’
‘Oil’
‘Small Blue World’
‘Gold’
‘Leather’
Further information on The Great Escape, including tickets, can be located HERE.
