Live Review: We Were Promised Jetpacks

The Cluny – 3rd December

A red light flooded the crowd, the only light in the dark cavern of The Cluny.

Anonymous figures began the sound check, and it was only upon closer inspection that they could be recognised as We Were Promised Jetpacks. Sporting casual clothes as if they’d just sabotaged the stage, they launched straight into ‘Circles and Squares’ with a furious energy.

Their set was a powerhouse of discordant noise from the offset. The band’s dominating, organised-chaos sound made both the walls of the room and the spines of the crowd shiver.

The band interweaved songs from their latest album, In The Pit Of The Stomach, and from their debut, These Four Walls. ‘Quiet Little Voices’ especially pleased the crowd, which was made up almost entirely of males in their twenties; you could nearly taste the male-angst being fuelled by the polished, indie-punk sound of the band’s early music, and their newer, grittier sound. Their apparent ease to switch from one sound to another proved how flexible and focussed they are.  

Verbal interaction with the crowd was minimal; occasionally vocalist Thompson quipped a quiet “Thank you” before crashing into another song. Music definitely spoke louder than words; ‘banter’ was unnecessary, only highlighting the band’s ‘no bullshit’ attitude.

We Were Promised Jetpacks are a band that makes music to experience, not merely to listen to. Definitely worth experiencing for yourself.