By Hannah Ross
Is there a better day to go to a Vukovi gig than International Women’s Day? I don’t think so.
To start the day off we made a beeline to The Salisbury to check out Vukovi’s pop-up merch shop. The pop-ups are being held across the ÜK specifically for this tour, and it gives fans a chance to buy exclusive merch before they’ve even set foot in the venue. After spending all our money and wading through a pub of Vukovi-clad fans we headed to Grand Central to have a few drinks and (badly) play a few games of pool, before on to the Ritz for the main event of the day.
Kicking off the night were Artio, who released their debut album ‘Babyface’ this time last year. The vocalist Rae Brazill is an absolute ball of energy. They launch their set with bombastic confidence, dancing across the stage and getting the crowd pumped up for the rest of the night.
It’s easy to see why they are opening for Vukovi, with songs like ‘Sertraline’, a song about how the government handles mental health issues, and ‘Babyface’ – tackling society’s ideas of gender. They are empowering and completely badass, and I think it’s fair to say they’ve won over the crowd with ease. They end the set with ‘Pyrokid’ and Rae confirms that they’ll be back to dance with us all soon.
The next offering of the night is Unpeople, a London band made up of former Press To Meco members. They have recently introduced Em Lodge from Delair the Liar as their new bassist – and interestingly all three bands – Vukovi, Press to Meco and Delaire the Liar – toured with each other back in 2021 for Vukovi’s first headline tour across the ÜK.
There was a lot of anticipation for their set in the crowd conversations tonight, but they still took me completely by surprise – blending BillyTalent-esque group vocals and harmonies with crushing riffs and optimistic hooks, all the whilst tackling topics around mental health and the world’s injustices.
Is there a better day to go to a Vukovi gig than International Women’s Day? I don’t think so.They open their set with ‘Waste’, and waste (sorry) no time in displaying exactly why they deserve to be on the line-up tonight. They’re keen to join Artio in taking a punch at the government, with ‘Waste’ touching on the self-imposed chaos and discontent we’ve brought upon ourselves with Brexit: “lick your wounds that you inflict on your own, you doubled down you should have left some room to grow”.
They blaze through their set – seemingly just as intent on making the crowd dance as they are with imparting the messages in their music. I’m not the only one converted by them tonight, as the guitarist Luke jumps into the crowd and clambers onto a guy’s shoulders for their parting song ‘The Garden’. ‘The Garden’ has some of the deepest lyrics I’ve heard in a while; especially for a song that apparently started off as an in-joke between the band members: “I’d never thought I’d see the day that I would ever feel like all my stars had aligned, I never thought I’d never want to die” – it’s pure catharsis.
Last but definitely not least, Vukovi hit the stage. Janine graces us with her presence, shrouded in a lacey catsuit getup that I’d never have the confidence to wear in a million years. They immediately jump into the set with the first song on MGHGAG; ‘This Is My Life And My Trauma’, and Janine is an absolute force of nature tonight – alternating between throwing herself around the stage and cradling her bottle of Buckfast. This gig feels like a ceremony in exorcising personal demons – with the intense flashing red and green lights adding to the atmosphere.
Janine has never been afraid to be vulnerable, and their songs drip with it: “I don’t wanna feel anymore, switch me off there’s no encore”. It’s both intensely personal and ferocious in equal measure. Everyone in the crowd is absolutely here for it tonight, dancing to their synths and Hamish’s chuggy rhythmic guitar and just having a blast. There’s enough here to keep the older fans happy too; with them playing old favourites like ‘Claudia’ and the dreamy ‘Colour Me In’. With Janine sitting on the edge of the stage and the crowd lighting up the venue with their phones it gives you a sense of being a part of something really intimate and special. I reflect on how crazy it is to watch them play this song in the sold-out Ritz when not too long ago they were starting out in venues like Sound Control and The Star and Garter.
Artio and Unpeople don’t want us forgetting them anytime soon, with Rae and Em joining Janine on vocals. Unpeople’s vocalist Jake joins Janine in title track ‘My God Has Got A Gun’, and their voices work together flawlessly.
Vukovi ends the set with another crowd favourite, ‘La Di Da’, and Janine crowd surfs her way through the song with the biggest grin on her face. Their whole set exuded pure confidence, and I think they know how much they crushed tonight (despite Hamish recovering from a cold).
This band is at the top of their game, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
- All photos © Hannah Ross/Über Rock.
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