Gig Review: Arcane Roots

On October 31st, I went to see Arcane Roots at Tooting Tram Social, London. In terms of the venue, it was my first time visiting it and I really liked it in there. It's the kind of venue I'd like to open myself someday but until then I'd definitely settle for visiting it again in the daytime to see the contrast. I digress...

First on stage was post hardcore trio Bad Sign. I hadn't heard anything about them or by them before arriving and I didn't even know they'd be performing that night so it's safe to say that I had no opinions about them before they stepped on stage. I actually wrote about them a couple of days ago here so they definitely made an impression on me. They had an abundance of energy which really made them enjoyable to watch. However, the sound levels weren't very good, meaning that we couldn't really hear the singer at all. Even though I couldn't hear his lyrics, you could tell that the lead singer/bassist had written most of the songs around the bass part because the other two parts kind of fell into that, but they sounded good. Cool band for sure and I'm looking forward to the release of their EP - Destroy - on the 6th of December.

Then Arcane Roots. I can't tell you why I was so excited but I was buzzing to see them. Their debut record Blood & Chemistry was golden. From the moment they stepped on stage everything was non -stop. They started with "Slow" and went straight on to "Sacred Shapes" - to be honest I don't remember a time during their set when I wasn't smiling. All three of them are great musicians - I was particularly impressed and surprised by the fact that both the drummer and bassist were left handed. Anyway, they played a couple new songs, the first of these was called "Veils" and the second "If Nothing Breaks, Nothing Moves". In my opinion, the latter was the better of the two but they are very different songs so it's a bit harder to judge. Highlights of the night were definitely "Resolve" and the closer "Hell & High Water". BIG show!

They absolutely smashed the set, I just wish it was longer! In my ideal world, their setlist would have been the entire album + EPs + new songs. Then and only then, would I have been fully satisfied. Great evening nontheless. I look forward to seeing and hearing a lot more from them soon.

Overall Rating - 8/10


Here are some pictures from the night...