If you were to ask people living in North London where to go to have a nice night out, where music venues meet pubs, you would find yourself in between two groups of people. One would say Camden, the other one, Angel. If you were to ask them where to find a nice music venue, many options would be offered to you by the people who chose Camden; less by the one who picked Angel. And yet, I am sure that many from the latter group would mention Electrowerkz.
Hidden in a small street behind Angel station, Electrowerkz is one of the venues of North London that seems to be very exigent with the artists they welcome. To keep they reputation as high as it is, they always offer their audience talented artists to perform in this cozy venue. Atypical for its architecture - with the emplacement of its van-bar in a room that seems to have been made to relax pre- and post-gig, Electrowerkz offers this professional stage and sound to the critical ears of a London audience. With a stage set up in a room small enough to feel privileged but big enough to jump all around the place, Electrowerkz is the place to go for gigs. And this is in this amazing venue of Islington that The Academic decided to perform their first headline show in London, on Monday 19th October 2015.
Before arriving to the show, I had this weird feeling that the show would be good - more than good, great! And I was not disappointed. With the two supporting acts, Jade Bird and Matt Woods, warming up the audience perfectly well with their wonderful voices and talents, it was time for The Academic to share their Irish presence with the London audience.
Once the final and quick sound check was done, the four friends from Ireland, who were chilling out with people up to that point, shyly arrived on stage. In a play of lights that engage the audience straight away, the first notes resonated in the room. Within a couple of seconds, they shared their energy with us, making us forget that there was a world outside of these four walls. The harmony between the band members and the instruments was already present, and so was their perfect rhythm. This is the moment when the powerful and talented voice of the lead-singer Craig Fitzgerald made its entrance in the show.
Catchy, full of rhythm and melody, Craig's voice was the last element that this growing harmony needed to become perfect. As the consequence of this talent and energy, the audience started dancing and singing along with the band, whether they new all the words, or not. The play of lights were making the room become more and more intimate, making the sound of the instruments more powerful and more distinct.
At this point, the four 20-something-year-old men on stage were not only musicians, and we were not only individuals in a room full of other individuals. At this point, we were just one. One group of people enjoying music. One group of people sharing and receiving from each other. One group of people loving their night out in London - no need for any kind of motivation that Monday.
After half an hour of display of impressive and singular energy, the night was to come to an end. The band, which was created only a few years ago, has already managed to produce a melody this that is so singular to them - and showed it to us on Monday. With their unique sound, The Academic proved that they are ready to become the next big sensation in the music industry.
Their performance was now done, but the band was not ready to leave yet. When people moved around them to quickly put the instruments, lights and other equipment back to their cases, the band took from their time to engage with their audience even more. Taking pictures with their fan, signing autographs, and talking to them, The Academic showed that the support of their fans is as important as performing on stage - if not more.
I would recommend this band to everyone - I have already started it! They are great musicians, great singers, both on stage and on their record, amazing performers, and on top of all of that, their are genuine people who take their time to appreciate the small talks - or longer discussions - with the people who came to their show. I bet on this band to become huge within the next year!
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• Meet the band:
Lead vocals and rhythm guitar: Craig Fitzgerald
Lead guitar and backing vocals: Matt Murtagh
Bass guitar and backing vocals: Stephen Murtagh
Drums and backing vocals: Dean Gavin
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The Academic's debut EP, called "Loose Friends", will be released on October 30th.
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If you want to listen to some of The Academic's music, you can find them on Spotify and Deezer.
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If you want to see the band live - which is something that I highly recommend - here are the next tour dates for The Academic:
Facebook - Tour Dates
Facebook - Tour Dates
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Where to find them:
Facebook: Facebook.com/ThisIsTheAcademic
Twitter: @ TheAcademic
Instagram: @ TheAcademic_
Facebook: Facebook.com/ThisIsTheAcademic
Twitter: @ TheAcademic
Instagram: @ TheAcademic_
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Have a nice day,
xx
