October Drift/Jet Ski Babylon

Joiners, Southampton

Tonight on this wet, cold and a rather gloomy November evening we are at the Joiners in Southampton for the first night of Taunton outfit October Drift’s UK tour. The rising band is rapidly making a name for themselves after notable sets at the BBC 6 Music Festival, Great Escape and on the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury. Ahead of the tour, the band have released a great new video filmed in a gym at the YMCA in Taunton, for a brand new song “Come and Find Me”; with the four band members all performing in matching gym kits.

Local Southampton quintet Jetski Babylon take on the role of tonight’s support act and they have a job on their hands to warm up this cold Tuesday night crowd. Opening with “Holding Up The Wall” from their debut EP “Reverie” they start powerfully with precise solid rhythms and two effect-driven electric guitars making a great account of themselves from the off. Frontman Oliver Tilt shakes his hips vigorously while delivering some fantastic varied vocals, he acts a little awkwardly during some songs but has a real endearing character.

Appropriately the band play a melodic gem of a tune called “Tuesday Nights” and then feed us with a brand new epic tune called “Nine”. It’s a tune that just builds and then soars to great heights with some strong punchy lyrics delivered passionately…… ‘What a time to be Alive’. It features some lovely and creative, electric guitar work from Max and Joe who use some alluring guitar effects. The band leaves the stage with plenty of positive support from the well-entertained crowd.

Jetski Babylon 1–2–3–4–5–6–7

October Drift don’t mess around and hit the stage with a beautiful wall of sound on their opening number “All Broken Down”. All three guitarists have a mess of pedals in front of them and together they just make a wonderful noise that atmospherically fills the venue. They appear to take influence from the darkness of bands like Editors and Interpol, and inject it with echoes of 90’s shoegaze. They add a huge amount of boundless energy and give you a performance that you won’t forget in a hurry. You cannot help but be drawn in by the sheer quality of their performance. Frontman Kiran Roy leaps down off the stage with his high set wireless guitar still strapped on and plays right in the faces of the thrilled audience members, dodging through the crowd so each member gets a personal look at his intense performance.

Each song in the ten-song set was played with no less power than the last and the band kept up a very high momentum throughout. “Forever Whatever” sees Kiran starting the tune with an unaccompanied acapella intro with strong emotive lyrics commanding an eerie silence throughout, before the band launch into an epic barrage of guitars. The band end with the slightly gentler ‘The Past’ which provides no less impact and leave the stage with the audience wanting more. As I sit back and try and take in the intense bombardment of the last 10 songs, I realized I have experienced something really special; a band that have all the ingredients to take their music to a much higher level.

October Drift 1–2–3–4

Set Lists
October Drift
All Broken Down
Cherry Red
Robots
Don’t Give Me Hope
Losing My Touch
Cinnamon Gal
Lost
Come and Find Me
Forever Whatever
The Past

Jetski Babylon
Holding up the Wall
Better Days
Hollow
Tuesday Nights
Nine
I Like it When

Links
https://www.facebook.com/octoberdrift
https://www.facebook.com/JetskiBabylon

Words & Pictures by David Chinery (Chinners).

Video By Pete Cole.