The Appearance | Muthers Studio, Birmingham | 16/02/24

This is a band at the very beginning of their career, without any released music. Yet, here they are. Third live show, confidently topping the bill as their first headline show.

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Every so often, there are doubts across the indie rock scene as to what the future holds.

Those same doubts are never more easily put to bed when watching the next generation of bands begin their journey.

Because if anything, this scene is very much thriving. More so now than ever.

Meet The Appearance, a four-piece indie rock band hailing from Birmingham comprising George Smart (vocals), Will Colley (guitar), James Harris (bass) and Toby Pearce (drums, temp).

This is a band at the very beginning of their career, without any released music. Yet, here they are. Third live show, confidently topping the bill as their first headline show, bringing along Tom Hewitt, Hot N’ Heavy and The Viz to fill the lineup.

By day, Muthers Studio is a place for upcoming bands to rehearse. The Appearance themselves call this place home. By night, however, it’s transformed into a vibrant concert venue, thanks to The Future Sound Project.

After a solid few performances from young and talented artists, all of which have shows on the horizon, The Appearance took to the stage.

Immediately launching into the iconic I Wanna Be Adored, the quartet effortlessly won the crowd with a dominant stage presence. Looking focused, collected and unrelenting. Mullets, high-waisted jeans and tattoos, the impression they began cementing was pretty clear from the off. These boys aren’t just considerably tight but there’s an aesthetic behind it all, drawing personas from the likes of Joy Division, The Smiths and Bowie.

The special night unfolded with a mixture of covers and fresh material, showcasing influences and how they bled into their project. In addition to The Stone Roses, there were covers from The Cure, Gerry Cinnamon, The Strokes, The Cure, Stereophonics and The Smiths. Quite an eclectic bunch, but the underlying thread is indie.

From the jangles of This Charming Man to the rough and ready Someday, every cover was carefully chosen. All came paired with an original unreleased track that shared an affinity.

Among this material we heard No Different, Feel For You, 1984, Emerald and Castaway. 1984 took the jangles of The Smiths earlier on, whereas Emerald oozed Wunderhorse and Radiohead - both of which are notable comparisons to the group. There’s an inventive knack here for building large sprawling set-pieces for their music, particularly through guitar solos.

It’s impressive how fresh on the scene The Appearance is. Their original material was exciting and their bubbly interactions with the crowd show a band aiming much higher. Big-hitter Castaway closed the night, leaving the Digbeth Studio with a sense of anticipation for what’s next.

:: Round-Up ::

Catch The Appearance at their next show, as they go on to headline Birmingham’s O2 Institute3 to hear unreleased music, and keep your eyes open for their debut single. You don’t want to sleep on this band, they’re just getting started.

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