Superfood Bring Positive Energy to Thekla

Photo credit: Read Dork.

Following the two support acts Cousin Kula, who play atmospheric experimental pop, and whenyoung, an energetic indie rock band, Superfood opened the first night of their tour with Where’s The Bass Amp?, song number one off their new album Bambino. New songs feature heavily in the set, sounding just as sharp as the studio versions and even more exciting. Superfood are sounding incredibly slick and professional these days, with the audience showing their approval by transforming Thekla into a dancefloor. The atmosphere is brilliant, feeling more like a house party than a concert.  From Bambino, the band play lead single Double Dutch, as well as Unstoppable, Need A Little Spider and Clo Park, beginning their encore with Natural Supersoul, which is already becoming a fan favourite. The highlight from the new repertoire, though, has to be I Can’t See, which leads to a mass singalong and good vibes all round.

From the band’s older material, we hear a reworked version of Right On Satellite, another highlight of the night, with an electrifyingly suspenseful extended build to the final chorus that made even the sleepy final years from Exeter join the pit. We also hear the classics Bubbles and TV, always well received by the crowd.

Of course, there’s no other way for Superfood to end a gig than with their song of the same name - it has almost become tradition, and so has the chaos that tends to ensue in the crowd during the song. By the closing chords, a massive stage invasion takes place, the band hidden from sight by the crowd on stage. Once the band manage to fight themselves to the front, guitarist Ryan Malcolm is high fiving the stage invaders and frontman Dom Ganderton is gleefully trying to sing into the mic that has literally been shoved into his mouth. Support band whenyoung even get in on the action with some stage diving. As great as the new songs are sounding then, it’s clear that Superfood’s eponymous song is still a live favourite, and it wouldn’t surprise me if that never changes. What’s nice to see is the fans embracing the band’s new sound so readily - Superfood have become much more ambitious, and their transformation should be celebrated. The best thing is seeing the smiles that remain on Malcolm and Ganderton’s faces throughout the set. For me, to see the performers enjoy their performance so much always increases the experience tenfold.