Desperate Journalist @ The Garage, London 23.01.25

Rounding off their recent mini tour Desperate Journalist conclude a flurry of activity in support of their recent album – which also happens to be last year’s best – No Hero on hallowed indie rock turf, The Garage, Islington.

Consolation Prize, the upbeat conclusion to the new LP opens proceedings, followed by live favourite Why Are You So Boring? replete with added Public Image Ltd style “Hello? Hellos?” during the intro. Airing the lion’s share of the new record interspersed with their four album deep catalogue, Afraid unfurls from its taut Weird Fishes style verses into a glorious chorus.

The booming metronomic beats of Hollow succeeded by the relentless train journey pattern of No Hero's title track spotlights drummer Caz’s exacting work behind the kit. Rob Hardy’s guitar is in hi-def focus throughout, ranging from the melodic arpeggios of Cedars to the motoric thrum of Everything You Wanted. At the centre of it all Jo Bevan’s outstanding vocals cut through the beautiful noise, turning in studio-perfect performances of every track.

Based around subtle off-kilter programmed beats and an atmospheric wash of guitars, the quartet being able to recreate Underwater, one of the album highlights live speaks volumes about their onstage ESP. In similar vein, the darkest moment on the new LP Silent, matches The Cure for majestic gloom, led by Simon Drowner’s plangent basslines.

The highlight of the evening 7 takes flight from its twisting verses into a soaring chorus which pays tribue to the mysterious figure of Shenandoah, whoever / wherever that may be. Unsympathetic Parts 1 & 2 glides past beautifully, its insistent chorus hook giving way to the swooning shoegazing coda, while at the other end of the scale a maximalist version of Fault rumbles along with subsonic force. Be Kind is dedicated to Fierce Panda label boss and independent music legend Simon Williams, before the main set wraps up with the astringent indie pop bounce of Personality Girlfriend.

Returning for the encore Control from the quartet’s eponymous debut album somehow released ten years ago this month still thrills with its spidery guitar lines before Satellite supplies the anthemic closer. “And are you just excited / The first ten times you meet me?” goes the key couplet bellowed en masse. And for a band with their kind of cult fandom and superlative sets like this, no, far from it, several thousand more shows are needed.