Sundara Karma | O2Academy2, Leicester | 25/11/23 (Live Review)

Balloons, confetti and glitter-dipped guitars. Sundara Karma welcome us to a party we won’t forget. This was more than indie-euphoria, it was a gateway to youthful memories.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Indie heroes Sundara Karma bounced back onto the scene primed and ready in June with their third album Better Luck Next Time. Equally, it has been three years since the last full effort from the band. You’d be forgiven in wondering where they’d gone. That time saw the band experimenting across several EP’s. Playing around with a concoction of vocal harmonies, genres and fresh sounds.

Sundara Karma, a name derived from Sanskrit words ‘Beautiful Karma’, rose to notoriety with their golden debut, Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect. An album which quickly became an indie cult favourite and was praised by critics everywhere.

Follow-up Ulfilas’ Alphabet received the same (if not more) praise, pushing the boundaries of the band’s sound and direction. Album number 3 sees the band returning to their roots with blissful indie-rock.

In support of Better Luck Next Time, the Reading four-piece of Oscar (vocalist), Ally (guitarist), Dom (bass) and Haydn (drums) announced a mega-tour. Consisting of more intimate venues than usual, one city was Leicester on a Saturday night. Of course, we had to get down to the front row.

Electric Fontaines-DC punk rockers Cucamaras took the stage by storm as lead support. Despite technical difficulties, resulting in speaker feedback, this is a band to keep an eye on. Combining a rough-and-ready attitude with observational lyrics, Cucamaras are armed for bigger stages.

An honourable mention to Leicester-band Sorrell for also supporting earlier in the night – pure DIY indie-rock!

Confetti pinned and balloons floating, Sundara Karma took to the stage with a swagger. Sporting glitter-bombed guitars, they thrashed into indie-hit She Said. The words came naturally for Leicester, who knew every one of them.

Before the pace could slow down, the band bounced into new tracks Baby Blue and Miss Again. It’s completely obvious how much the boys are enjoying the simplicity of their new record. The roaring response from the mosh-pit hungry crowd, adds to the electric performance.

Illusions was a beautiful slow-down in tempo, as was Declan Mckenna-esque Pain + Pleasure. It would be amiss not to mention how tight Sundara Karma are now, allowing Oscar to become a true performer.

The tempo didn’t pause for long, Friends Of Mine invited Oscar to perform from the barrier. High-fiving lucky fans on the front row. It’s a song which channels as much energy as Circa Waves, but has enough Sundara Karma DNA to feel almost timeless.

As we reached halfway in the set, the band threw themselves into A Young Understanding. Feeling 18 again for a moment, never felt so good. The nostalgic beating heart of the bass, guitar and drums all ramping up ahead of the opening line gave us an unexplainable dopamine rush. A good job too because oldies Loveblood and Olympia followed. So did our smiles. And not only us, the entire room.

Wishing Well was up next, a beautiful pop-rock track that wouldn’t be out of place on a 90’s record. Hearing about how it all went wrong never sounded so positive, a knack the band have possessed since day one. Kill Me followed. Granted, it also sounds downbeat. But in fact has a unique ability to be optimistic. It was a nice addition, a nod to the experimental EP’s from 2020 onwards.

You’ll have noticed the setlist is super varied and keeps a mixed pace. There’s enough to please new and old fans, with newer tracks sitting at home with the oldies. Greenhands and Indigo Puff were both glorious to experience live. A true testament to how much talent the band have within their souls. Hearing the latter reminded us how far they’ve come since the early days.

Explore was a highlight of the evening, again immediately feeling 18. Basking in the sunlight of a Summer’s day, it was one of the first Sundara Karma songs we found. And it holds a special place in our fond youthful memories.

Technical difficulties only built anticipation. Nothing was going to dampen the joyful euphoria that emerges with the pent-up outro.

Violence To The Spirit, sharing a similar style to Lisztomania, kept up the same energy. Not long after, we dived into another set highlight: One Last Night On This Earth. A track that’s unmistakable and one that’s a clear anthem from the second-album. Sounds Good To Me closed the evening, but it wasn’t long before the four-piece returned for two more.

Title-track Better Luck Next Time is a different beast live. And features an extended guitar outro. Dark blue lighting masks the band behind silhouettes as they worship their instruments.

Any guesses on what made the big finale? No surprises. Fan-favourite, and the first track we heard from the band, Flame. That opening guitar riff lit up faces across the room. Opening yet another gateway to indie-euphoria. Vocalist, Oscar, ditched the guitar and stormed the stage with only a mic.

The O2 Academy erupted, echoing every word back. Then, the reigns were handed over to sing the chorus alone. Which Leicester did without much prompt.

By the second verse, Oscar was already in the crowd. When we danced to Flame all those years ago, it never occurred we may mosh with the lead singer one day.

:: Round-Up ::

Sundara Karma in Leicester was more than indie-euphoria, it was a gateway to youthful memories. Few bands from the late 2010s can boast such a diverse yet charming catalogue and still be on their A-game.

Better Luck Next Time sports a party-theme and is all about having a great time. On this night, the band effortlessly welcomed us into their world for a party we won’t forget.

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