Review: Safety Jacket at The Finsbury

Brighton band Safety Jacket led a night of music at The Finsbury that fell nothing short of indie-rock greatness.

A queue of cathartic tunes and steady rock beats filled North London pub The Finsbury on Friday 20th October, as indie band Safety Jacket took to the stage as part of their latest UK tour.

With support from openers The Deadly Nightshades, as well as upcoming bands Sleeprs and Daydreamers, the evening saw a slathering of catchy tunes, with each group showcasing alternative sounds that brought new electricity to the stage.

Hailing from Brighton, Safety Jacket, which was formed by bandmates George, Harvey, and Joe, delivered a set of steady ballads expertly layered with powerful vocalisations from singers George Cash and Harvey.

As they moved through impassioned hits including tracks from their latest album ‘Honey From the Wasp Nest’, it was clear to see that the group had emerged from strong roots, a bond that has kept the group musically aligned since they first started working together following a fifteen-year-long friendship.

Energetic, confidently paced tracks were sandwiched by bravely slowed sections which held the audience in a rhythm alternating between moments of captivation and reflection.

Drummer Joe Thorpe confidently guided the audience through lashings of passion-filled vocals and angsty chords, pairing his rich rhythms with deep bass riffs. Vulnerable tracks exploring themes of bereavement and mental health culminated in a charged rock ballad that left a hopeful feeling of strength in the air as it brought the night to a close.

Prior to Safety Jacket’s performance, a series of three opening acts brought the same energy to the stage.

Taking influence from The Strokes, London-based trio The Deadly Nightshades were first on stage and kicked off the evening with emotion-packed rhythms and warm tracks layered with hearty vocals.

Marking their stage debut, newcomers Daydreamers overtook the room with an air of psychedelic nostalgia. Delivering dizzyingly catchy tunes, the band paired laid back riffs with explosions of warm sounds.

Bass player Aurora gave a strong performance, layering silky vocals over the band’s tunes along with front man Riley. The group closed with danceable new ballad ‘I’m Not Gonna Say it First’, which, along with the woozily captivating tracks that featured earlier in their set, made it hard to believe that the show was the band’s first live performance.

Based in Oxford, third opener Sleeprs was a strong follower to the earlier acts, showcasing a set of youthful, dreampop-like tunes, along with steadier, drum-heavy beats, all topped with floating lashings of guitar delivered by guitarist Jack Hanwell.

Photography by Emma Last.