Taking the leap from a literal bedroom project, shoegaze revivalists bdrmm are nearing the end of their marathon 30 date tour that almost never happened in the extravagant Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh.
Joined by northern neighbours NightBus on their first ever outing in Scotland, the trio are adorned in bdrmm merch who have apparently promised pints in exchange for merch sales. With a Jees’ melancholic vocals over a deep base and punchy synth it is not a surprise that most mentions of the band include the comparison to The XX crossed with Joy Division, it is an interesting mix which they pull off well. It’s a low-key and atmospheric set which sets the tone for bdrmm very well.
bdrmm come to stage returning the favour to the support band in their Nighbus tshirts, they kick off the evening with the same 3 tracks as their 2023 album “I Don’t Know”, ‘Alps’ is followed by ‘Be Careful’ and by the time ‘It’s Just A Bit Of Blood’ is playing we are definitely in full swing. The band are quite understated but friendly, there is little banter but they are playing with grins on their faces throughout the set and when they do talk it’s clear they already have a close connection with their fans. After asking for lights in an already rather dark show to be turned down the wall of noise the band produces hits hard.
Much like most of bdrmms songs the live show continues to build up over time and as we get through most of 2020’s “Bedroom”, bassist Jordan Smith is spurring on the crowd to provide a clap on beat and guitarist Joe Vickers spends most of “Happy” lying on his back on the stage.
Shoegaze shows are notoriously hit or miss affairs with even some fan favourites not quite hitting the spot live, bdrmm however seem to have cracked the code. They haven’t depended on any frills or gimmicks but have crafted an authentic and joyful live show. It isn’t surprising to see that most of the tour is selling out as they go and catching them as they head back towards home would be highly recommended.
Words and pictures: Dale Harvey @daleharvey