Candid/Happy Cry

April 20, 2023 Off By Jon

Sixty Million Postcards, Bournemouth

Bournemouth’s premier award-winning arts and music promoters “We Broke Free” run by vivacious pragmatist Tor Byrnes have continued in 2023 to put on a host of great shows by local and up-and-coming travelling acts. Tonight at their flagship venue Sixty Million Postcards they bring future Indie superstars from Coventry “Candid”, the band have been flag bearers for the West Midlands Indie scene and earned themselves a solid reputation as a premiere live act.

With each release that the band make, their popularity seems to be escalating and this major tour features 10 dates across the UK; bringing their music to new audiences.

Before tonight’s headliners, we welcome local top-rated support band, the four-piece Happy Cry. With the release of only a handful of singles so far the band have themselves started to make a few ripples locally, with some solid performances on stages within the local vicinity. The band features Jacob Rowe on Vocals/Rhythm Guitar, George Nelson on Lead Guitar, Craigo Ayre on Bass and at the back on the drums Henry Whalley; who also provides some fine backing Vocals.

Grabbing everybody’s attention the band arrive on stage with a jam before striding confidently into their latest single “Back for More”. As far as looks and musical styles go, each of the guys could not be more different. However when all their individual styles come together; a fuse is ignited and a certain musical chemistry happens to deliver some great original tunes.

Happy Cry 1–2–3–4–5

One of the audience members next to me states that these guys are one of the best songwriters on the local scene. I tend to agree, after seeing them live on several occasions their songs have a real penetrating quality. With tracks like the powerful “So to Bed”; the smouldering “Need It” and the delicately infectious “Cultivars”, they show this off handsomely. Jacob gives his absolute all with some commanding vocals, while George on his Gibson SG shows us some outstanding guitar work; ably complimented by Craigo and Henry’s spot-on stimulating rhythmic additions.

After their now customary version of Tears For Fears “Mad World”, they deliver their killer blow with their soon-to-be-released single “It Won’t Stop”. Like “Need It” . the track just builds and builds to a crescendo; with layers of heavy rhythms, loud grungey guitars, and loads of infectious energy. The culmination is possibly their best track to date and sees the band ending on a real high, giving something for the appreciative audience to cheer about.

Arriving in a city that you have never played before, let alone been to and having to follow a support act that would make any headline act nervous; Candid arrive on stage and show nothing but confidence, respect and professionalism. These guys know the drill and their significant gigging experience at a host of dates shows they instinctively know how to win over an audience. The West Midlanders feature Rob Latimer (Lead vocals/Guitar), Dan Latimer (Guitar), Sam Baines (Bass) and Alex Bonsor (Drums) along with the band’s newest member on Keys/Synths Max Fisher. Opening with “Pulling Away”, the band show their beautiful layered sound with multi-textured uplifting guitars, atmospheric synths and Rob’s all-encompassing vocals.

This continues with the ultra-catchy tune “The Truth”, the song features an elevated chorus that, with its inspiringly poignant lyrics, can thrill whoever hears it. The band’s rousing sound is along the lines of “Catfish and The Bottlemen” and more recently Dublin’s Inhaler. They are not just another Indie band trying their luck, there is clearly a lot of hard work gone into the science of their music and they seem to have a stringent creation process with excellent quality control.

Candid 1–2–3–4

Like “The Coventry Automatics” (The Specials) before them they have a track called “Concrete Jungle”, clearly inspired by their home town surroundings. This is followed by an impressive version of Fleetwood Mac’s track “The Chain”, made famous by Formula One Motor Racing; this segues almost seamlessly into their next number “Tonight”. These five guys on stage are just a joy to watch, with each of them being competent accomplished musicians, they modestly show off their skills for all to enjoy. I’m sure those absent will regret it when the band are performing a headline show sometime in the future at the Bournemouth International Centre just across the road. It is a free entry gig after all and to be fair there should be a lot more people here to witness this gig.

The band keep up their high momentum delivering quality tune after tune. They end with one of the band’s most popular releases to date; a track called “Wasting Time”, a brilliantly crafted tune that thoroughly deserves some mainstream airplay on national radio stations. It is a tune that sends us all home with it radiating around in our heads. The guitar melodies combine with the synths, along with their infectious laid-down rhythms and easy-to-grasp chorus. The band give their thanks to the audience and leave the stage – there were of course calls for an encore, however Rob said they had played all the tracks they know. A great night with two quality bands and one that will be remembered for a long time for the few that were here.

Set Lists
Happy Cry
Intro Jam
Back For More
So To Bed
Need It
Black Horse
Cultivars
Wasting Light
Mad World (Tears For Fears)
It Won’t Stop

Candid
Pulling Away
The Truth
Numbers Game
Concrete Jungle
The Chain (Fleetwood Mac)
Tonight
Futures Fade
Last Life
Rumours
Time Will Tell
Small Talk
Too Much
Breathless
The Feeling
Through All The Fighting
Wasted Time