Being honest, The Big Moon have always been background music for me.
A band I’d listen to while driving, doing dishes or working late, I listened to them turned down low, and found their crunchy guitars and buttery harmonies the perfect accompaniment to everyday life.
So while I was looking forward to seeing them live, I was expecting a much more passive experience than the one they provided at Dunfermline’s PJ Molloys last night.
It’s safe to say the band I’d described to my colleagues as ‘a bit of a British HAIM’ blew me away – and blew the roof off the place.
Frontwoman Juliette ‘Jules’ Jackson took gentle ownership of the room and stage from the outset, perfectly pacing her powerful voice to carry us along and then let rip when the energy was all the way up.
Dancing with their guitars – and one another – she and bassist Celia Archer shifted between charmingly silly and stirringly serious as they blended their vocals seamlessly to create the lofty sound for which the band is known.
Note-perfect – and LOUD – the band replicated beloved album tracks from all three of their records, including Don’t Think, Wide Eyes and Daydreaming, with the three standing members proving their musicianship by swapping around between guitars, keyboards and vocals.
Drummer Fern Ford, while hidden away at the back of the stage, brought a steady percussive heartbeat to proceedings, using shakers, cymbals and the full range of her kit to kick things up a notch.
A poignant moment mid-set saw Jackson, Archer and guitarist Soph Nathan gather for a haunting a capella rendition of Formidable, before Jackson turned the energy all the way up for crowd-pleaser Bonfire.
Getting down off the “tiny stage” so she could “throw shapes”, Jackson stood in the middle of the crowd, commanding a group crouch which led to a joyous mass jump at the crescendo.
Remarking wryly that they’d “run out of chat” by this stage of the tour, the band didn’t waste too much time between tracks, but still exuded a warmth and affection for the crowd which was palpable.
And since this tour is part of the National Lottery’s United By Music Tour (a series of intimate shows which aim to support grassroots music venues) they made sure to encourage the crowd to support local venues like PJs.
A clap-and-stamp-demanded encore saw them end the night with infectious banger Your Light, which got everyone jumping (and sweating) once again, making a midweek gig feel like a Saturday night.
So it’s safe to say The Big Moon’s power and presence on stage mean they’ll never be played quietly in my house again.
