The London based band Beach Baby was born, pardon the pun, after Lawrence Pumfrey and Ollie Pash met at University and were joined by bassist Iraklis Theocharopoulos and drummer Josh Hodgson. Since 2013 they’ve released singles, an EP and this September they put out their debut album ‘No Mind No Money’.

The band’s first support were ‘The Velveteens’ a five piece from Leeds who describe their music as combining “the raucous sound of 60’s garage with a modern sensibility”. Beach Baby evidently back local bands when touring, with their second support a talented four piece called Deadwall, also from Leeds.

There was a poor turnout in comparison to the night before when the venue was almost at capacity for Spring King. The band however were gracious that anyone had turned up “considering it was a Monday”, but speaking as somebody who had a 9am lecture the next day, I think it was unfortunate so few had turned out for such a great band playing only 20 minutes away from the University. Nevertheless, they played the entirety of their album enthusiastically, with Ollie making the most of the attentiveness and doing what he called a “Freddie Mercury at Wembley style” call and response.

As the band slowed it down with ‘Smoke Won’t Get Me High’, Ollie and Lawrence’s harmonies were accompanied by the voices of 20 teens enveloped in the almost hypnotic sound floating from the speakers. After a girl had shouted how “sexy” their music was for the tenth time, the band performed “a romantic song just for her”, and the melodic chord progression of ‘Hot Weather’ entranced the audience for the next four minutes. Beach Baby closed with the first track on their album, ‘Limousine’, which they dedicated to a boy who appeared to be about 12 and had come with his dad for his birthday. This gesture affirmed what the audience already knew, that this band was merely a talented group of friends whose appreciation for their fans’ support, even when only 30 show up, make them stand out from commercial artists consumed by a desire for publicity.

Andrea Loftus

(Image: bodeganottingham)