The Lottery Winners 'This Is How It Feels' Tour

The Lottery Winners:

As the band took to the stage lead singer Thom Rylance made the hilarious promise to deliver the "13th best gig in the Junction history... of this year'. If that was the aim, then they dramatically failed as this will undoubtedly go down as one of the best gigs to ever grace Cambridge Junction.

The bands set was crammed full of their biggest hits mixed amongst all the between-song hilarity that has become synonymous with The Lottery Winners gigs. There were jokes about wonder-bras, JLS and dead nans, supported by a baseball jacket striptease which was hijacked by drummer Joe Singleton; so all-in-all it was a standard Lottery Winners gig. 

You could fill a book with the hilarious quotes that left Thom's mouth (Name recommendation Rylance's Rambles - Will settle on 50% of sales when it is released!). However, a Lottery Winners show is so much more than just funny moments between songs. It is four world class musicians who have the most infectious chemistry and connection with the crowd delivering banger after banger in a way that will live long in the memory

Thom is one hell of a frontman, having the crowd in full voice and stitches of laughter throughout the entire the night, but he was not the only person to take the lead during the set. Chants of Rob, Rob Rob! welcomed guitarist to Rob Lally to centre stage to do his best Boy George on the bands hit song 'Let Me Down', whilst bassist Katie Lloyd took lead vocals on a number of songs including 'Burning House' which sent the energy through the roof.

One of the sets most wholesome moments came as Katie led the band through a stunning performance of '85 Trips'. Thom sat towards the back of the stage making a quick drawing of young audience member Jessica who was at her first ever gig.

This statement can be easily overuse, but Wednesday really was one of the greatest gigs I have ever witnessed. Brilliant support acts, a high energy crowd, and a headline band that are entering the form of their lives. The Lottery Winners are already one of the most important band on the UK scene right now, and will only get bigger

The Clause:

The Clause, who have just released their debut EP 'Pop Culture', were the nights second support act, delivering a high energy set that made them firm favourites with The Junction's crowd. This was The Clause's first time playing to a Cambridge audience, yet they got such a loud response from all in attendance you'd be mistaken from thinking they were another local band. The fourpiece, consisting of Pearce Macca (Vocalist), Niall Fennell (Drummer), Johnny Fyffe (Bassist) and Liam Deakin (Guitarist), delivered a rousing set of indie brilliance that shows exactly why they have become such a high renowned band on the UK touring scene.

The band opened their set with 'Time of Our Lives' instantly showing their musical prowess. Macca takes to the mic with all the swagger of a natural frontman, commanding the crowd like it is the most natural thing in the world for him. Jonny Fyffe jumps onto one of the front
speakers before jumping around the stage masterfully slinging his bass around. The whole band were unbelievable but there is a certain presence of Fyffe's bass playing that you cannot help but take your eyes off

'Fake It' was my personal favourite song of the set, with Deakin's funky intro riff sending Cambridge into a dancing frenzy. The cool drumming of Fennell controlled the pace as The Clause continued to navigate the crowd through a top-tier support set that well and truly warmed everyone up

By the time set closer 'In My Element' ended The Clause has solidified themselves as firm crowd favourites and would no doubt be welcomed back in open arms as soon as they wish to return. They have a natural connection with one another on the stage that all great bands have, and with every release are creating a musical catalogue to sell out the big rooms. It won't be long before The Clause shoot into the stratosphere

Grace Calver:

The privilege of opening the night was given to local future-star Grace Calver, who has become a prominent name in the Cambridge music scene. This was one of the biggest opportunities of Grace's career so far, and there can be no doubt she seized it

Grace, alongside her band mates Jake Day (guitar), James McGonigle (drums) and Karl Younger (bass) delivered a crowd pleasing set of feel-good indie hits, that were taken to new level heights from the full band performance. What's even more impressive is this was only their second gig playing together as a band, yet they commanded the stage with the natural ability of a group who have been doing this together for years. It is clear Grace is growing perfectly into this frontwoman role, gaining more conviction every time she interacted with the crowd. Those in attendance recognised this, showing more and more support for the local superstar as her set went on. 

The set featured a number of already classic Grace Calver hits like 'Zombie Conversation' and 'Bored of U', but the song of the set has to go to 'For Dead'. The song (which admittedly is already my favourite Calver track) provides the perfect mix of soft vocals and heavier instrumental to really showcase the ability of Grace and her band. The song is somehow even better played live with the rock influences being even more apparent. There could not have been a more perfect closer for this amazing set.

During their headline set Thom Rylance of The Lottery Winners told the crowd that Grace Calver is "going places" and he couldn't be more spot on. It feels only a matter of time until Grace Calver and her band are headlining rooms this size or bigger. If you like feel good indie music with noticeable pop and rock influences, then now is the perfect time to get on the Grace Calver bandwagon