Corella | Rescue Rooms, Nottingham | 01/11/23 (Live Review)

Corella gave Nottingham a night to remember with non-stop indie bops. They want to headline Rock City, we say aim higher – Ally Pally isn’t far away.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Corella, the indie four-piece from Manchester, are one of the most talked about bands at the moment. It’s no wonder why. They’ve been pumping out happy-go-lucky bops for almost 10 years. Next year marks the release of a hotly-anticipated debut album. And this tour feels like the calm before the storm.

Joel (vocals), Jack (guitar), Ben (bass) and James (drums) are a live machine, living for the stages wherever they may be. It would be a crime to not see them at any given opportunity.

We discovered the boys after a fiery appearance at BBC Introducing, Reading Festival 2022. Where they drew a humongous crowd for a lunchtime set, a time typically full of hungover folks barely conscious. When we heard they were stopping by Nottingham, we couldn’t miss it.

After a psychedelic awakening from support band Chilli Jesson, everyone was more than ready to get on their dancing shoes.

Boldly taking to the stage with newest single Don’t Stop Me, it didn’t take much for the room of 450 to lose themselves to a melodic euphoria.

From start to finish, the pace of the setlist felt somewhat evocative of the band’s meteoric rise. Ticking off banger-after-banger, while making space for plenty of new tunes being road-tested for the album.

Bigger hitters Come Around, Bloom, Let On and Waterfall are soaked in optimism and sunshine. Each track gets extended instrumentals, and plenty of smiles from the band at the overwhelming crowd reception time and time again. They can see every face staring back at them, bouncing and fuelling up on Dopamine – a bonus of playing venues this size.

Meanwhile, Lady Messiah, a new track set to be a new fan favourite, faced technical difficulties. Leaving the crowd to continue singing the chorus in perfect harmony without prompt, until Joel’s mic began working again. A moment which will stick with the boys and this tune for a while. It’ll certainly be one we remember when it drops.

One thing the technical department did get right was the lighting and visuals, with a stunning selection of colours. Each warming the room and making it feel like the Summer months for a little longer.

Mentions of one day headlining Rock City next door were cast across the evening, which feels almost inevitable for a band this ambitious. We’d say aim even higher – Alexandra Palace isn’t far away. These Mancunians are following a similar path to Sea Girls, The Academic and Vistas, and there’s a reason the BBC said ‘Corella set the bar very high’.

A sweet mention to Joel’s sister who stood at the back of the crowd appeared too. She watched them play to 4 people all those years ago, and still supports her brother relentlessly.

Barcelona Girl ignited the big finale – a track that is everything indie-pop should be. Bright, blissful and bubbly. The energy from everyone was breathtaking and infectious.

:: Round-Up ::

Corella’s future is quite simply as bright as their music. The stage is set, we just need that debut album. And the boys themselves are as optimistic as the tunes they play, kindly meeting up with fans after the show.

We’ll be waiting for that album, and the tours to come.

See full setlist on Setlist.fm. Were you at the show? Check out our Insta and TikTok for videos, or share your own with us.