Scouting for Girls 'The Place We Used to Meet' UK Tour

Scouting For Girls:

Just over a month ago indie-pop megastars Scouting for Girls released their newest album 'The Place We Used to Meet to rave reviews. For the last month since the records release the band have been travelling up and down the country on a mammoth sell-out UK tour. Last night the tour rolled into Cambridge Corn Exchange with a capacity crowd gathered for night of nostalgic brilliance and fresh tunes that you can't help but dance to. The opening act for this tour is the brilliant 'Anni Pohto', with London indie rockers 'The Horn' also joining the support line-up last night. 

Saturday night fever had truly taken over Cambridge, as one of the most energetic crowds I have ever been part of filled the Corn Exchange. The atmosphere was already electric, with huge singalongs taking place to the pre-show music, but when Scouting for Girls took to the stage the roof was blown off the building. What followed was a masterclass in live performance filled with all the hits you would expect intertwined with showcasing of the band's newest album.

Lead vocalist Roy Stride was bursting with energy from the get-go, delivering an out of this world performance as a frontman. He commanded the stage like it was the most natural role in the world for him, leading singalongs in abundance and even climbed to the venue's balcony to perform 1+1. Stride was backed up by the musical brilliance of founding members and long-term friends Greg Churchouse (bassist) and Peter Ellard (drums). The band were also joined by their most recent addition Nick Tsang (lead guitar) who fits flawlessly into the tight-knit line-up

As a band Scouting for Girls have so many huge singles that they were able to spread them perfectly throughout the night, with each one getting huge reactions from the crowd. 'I Wish I Was James Bond' was played during the middle of the set and yet received one of the the loudest singalongs of the night. The longevity of Scouting for Girls was highlighted when all band members moved to the front of the stage momentarily morphed into their original band from 1998 'Power Cuts' to play one of the band's first ever songs 'I'm Not Over You' which received deserving adoration from all those in attendance

The set was impressively closed by an impromptu performance of 'Millionaire' at the request of an audience member and a rousing performance of She's So Lovely'. These two songs perfectly summed up the night as a whole. High level musicality delivered in the most infectious way that you couldn't help but leave with a smile on your face, desperate to relive the night all over again.

The Horn:

Last night saw brilliant indie rockers 'The Horn' join the support bill, a place they will keep for the rest of Scouting for Girls tour now, and there can be no doubt this tour is better for it. Their unique brand of Britpop inspired music went down an absolute treat with the audience, showing the London based band will always have a home away from home here.

The set featured a number of offerings from The Horn's newly released album 'People Like Us', an upbeat record filled with catchy choruses that you cant help but sing along to. This transformed perfectly into their live performance, with audience participation being prevalent throughout - the perfect feature for a support band.

The highlight of the set for me was closer 'Do It Now' which had an easy to learn earworm chorus that had the whole of Cambridge Corn Exchange singing in great voice, and stayed in my head long after The Horn had left the stage

Anni Pohto:

It was an absolute pleasure to witness the musical genius that is Anni Pohto open the show last night. Her set was one of the most stunning I've seen for some time, pairing soulful vocals with atmospheric keys. There were parts of this set where you couldn't help but just stand and watch in amazement, but Anni had such an incredible stage presence that it never took long before the audience's hands were in the air with their feet moving below.

In such a short set Anni managed to cover a multitude of genres with her music, which normally would be a recipe for disaster, but every song was pieced so nicely together that it created a genuine masterpiece. The more upbeat 'everywoman' provided a perfect opportunity to dance whilst embracing female empowerment, whereas calmer songs like 'Into The Wild' transformed the Corn Exchange into a musical Wonderland Anni Pohto is a must-see musician