Wallows at O2 Academy Birmingham with Matilda Mann Supporting

Wallows at O2 Academy Birmingham with Matilda Mann Supporting

This was my first time going into O2 Academy in Birmingham. First off, this was a sold out show, kicking off the UK leg of their European tour. I could feel the anticipation in the crowd outside the venue, from what seemed like a mile away just waiting for the line to start moving. 

As usual, the front row was filled almost instantly, excited fans not wanting to risk being pushed to the back of the crowd. The crowd continued to get bigger as it got closer to when the opener was due to go on.

The support act was Matilda Mann. An Indie-Rock artist out of West London. Her style worked wonderfully as an opener for Wallows. She has the same kind of feel as Wallows if a little toned down. She’s kicking off a four show headlining tour on November 10th with a show in Dublin, moving on to Birmingham, Manchester and London. Her first full length album drops on February 28th. Check out more at matildamann.com.

Kicking off Wallows’ set, their song “Your Apartment.” The first song on their new album “Model.”A song that beneath it’s catchy lyrics, is about a failed relationship and having to hold back to avoid arguments and hurt feelings. Their set continued with similar works, with an absolute electric energy on stage. Getting towards the end of their set, they decided to slow things down a little bit. Looking back on how they started, the crew set up some sofas and lamps, they turned the lights down, and the crew left the stage. For the next few songs, they sat down, reminisced about how the band started out. They played a small acoustic set of some of their earlier songs: “Pictures of Girls,” “Let the Sun In,” and “1980s Horror Film.” 

They continued on with some of their earlier songs back with the full crew and lights. Starting this next part of their set with “Worlds Apart.” You could tell they were having an absolute blast with “Scrawny,” “Remember When,” and seemingly finishing their set with “I Don’t Want To Talk.” The three of them walked off stage playing off that that was it, the end of the show.

You could hear the excitement as they came back out for “Are You Bored Yet?” You could hear the crowd singing along. They finished up their encore with “Only Ecstasy.” A fitting end to the first show of the UK leg of their “Model” tour.

They are beginning an Australian leg of their tour in December starting in Perth, and they have US tour dates starting in February in Omaha, Nebraska. If you get the chance to see them live, I’d wholeheartedly recommend it. You can check out more at wallowsmusic.com.

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.