From the comfort of my living room I’d been watching various tours unfold across the country and after a long 18 months of no live music, I had been eagerly counting the days until Vukovi’s Birmingham tour date. The videos, photos and posts I’d been keeping an eye on did not do this show justice. This is a band who belong on stage.
On their first ever UK headline tour, the Scottish duo were supported by Delaire The Liar and Press to Meco who, quite frankly, did an excellent job of warming the crowd up. In fact, the fist circle pit of the evening came early on in Press To Meco’s set.
Adequately psyched up, we stood itching for the main event.
There’s an unspoken moment in any live show – that fraction of a second between the PA music dipping and the lights dimming, where there’s a flicker of recognition across the audience and the hum of cheering reverberates across the room.
Our cheers were halted by the opening track – Violent Minds. Immediately the room was buzzing, with people jumping from the front of the stage right back to the room’s exit and as the band slammed into Claudia the movement from the crowd did not stop.
Throughout the entirety of Vukovi’s set the band’s energy was matched by the crowd and while this write up should be mostly about the band’s performance, I would not be doing the night justice if I failed to comment on the relationship vocalist Janine had with the people in the audience.
Constantly reaching out and touching the fans and interacting with them at every opportunity Janine was in her element and on point with the banter. An absolute powerhouse, Janine was pitch perfect throughout the set and visibly in her element enjoying every second of the show.
With a set list ranging from the newer releases such as Hurt and Slo, right up to Animals and La Di Da with a splash of drama chucked in from I’m Sorry and Colour Me In, the show from start to finish was a real showcase of the band’s skill. Every single track sounded even better than its recorded counterpart. Each song hit differently, some sounding even more anthemic that you could possibly imagine.
The energy from the band was encapsulated in a ferocity of disgustingly gurney guitar riffs, incredible vocals and a stage presence that cannot be practiced, but is inherently innate.
Closing the show to chants of “Vukovi” and “we want more” I, personally went home from this show with an even greater appreciation for the band and have had their music stuck on repeat in my head for a week. I am honored to have had Vukovi be one of my first live shows back since the start of the pandemic and will, most definitely, be seeing them again at the first available opportunity.
10/10 – Go and see this band!
