Concert Review: sunnbrella + Sun Spot + Hongza @ MOTH Club in Hackney, London 6.15.24

As London welcomed sunnbrella for the closing show for their 2024 UK headline tour, the audience was reeled into an unforgettably entrancing show filled with a tasteful variety of genres from start to finish–such as shoegaze, post punk, indie rock, and pop gaze. Opening bands, Sun Spot and Hongza, put on incredibly dynamic performances that warranted a personal deep dive into their diverse discographies following the show. During every act, the bands that were not performing could be seen amongst the audience to support the current performers. By the time sunnbrella made it onstage, there was no doubt that they would put on a beautiful performance to end the night–and they certainly delivered. Beyond the mutual support between all three bands, the venue, MOTH Club, perfectly set the ambiance for each performance as the low lighting met the emotion of each song by alternating between blue and red hues, in addition to the intimate nature of the small venue space that epitomizes DIY shows. There is just so much to say about this fantastic night of music.

Nevertheless, here is a chronological deep dive into all the details that made this concert 100% worth the last-minute trip from Netherlands to the UK.

Sun Spot: A warm welcome and exhilarating opener

In an attempt to find the backdoor to MOTH Club’s music space, the sound of Sun Spot’s energetic drumming quickly led me to the stage. The four-piece band takes on a full-bodied sound as they flaunt swirling industrial guitar riffs, addictive drum beats, and powerful vocals. The band’s vocalist and bassist, Will Palmer, put out impressive screaming vocals during the set’s climactic moments. Alongside Palmer were guitarists, George Turner and Kyle Hawkes, who accentuated the post punk sound that Sun Spot embodied.

I couldn’t help but notice throughout the night that, while all drummers like Kris Bressington (pictured above) were somewhat out of sight from the audience, their energy was ever-present. Bressington’s drumming kept the audience members head-bobbing and swaying their bodies throughout the entire set. The mainly blue-colored spotlights were centered on the stage, but everyone was visibly moving along to the music and in their own world–even in darkness. Sun Spot truly set the mood and high expectations for the rest of the show, exemplifying the artistry that you would expect in a lineup alongside sunnbrella.

It should be noted that Sun Spot’s catalog of musical talents and interests go beyond the industrial sound we mostly heard at MOTH Club. Their music discography incorporates much more electronic sounds that span genres from post punk to ethereal pop with tasteful ambient elements. My personal favorite release of Sun Spot’s is their Clipping EP from 2021!

Hongza: A crowd engager at full throttle

The immensely mutual support displayed between all three acts definitely added to the alluring atmosphere of the show. After a quick set change, the face and frontman of Hongza, Sam Hong, enthusiastically greeted the audience and acknowledged both Sun Spot and sunnbrella before going into the band’s electrifying set. If one could describe Hongza’s sound, it would probably be an extremely catchy ensemble of shoegaze, indie rock, and pop elements full of earworms bodied by the electric guitar. What set Hongza’s performance apart from the rest was the sheer amount of charismatic onstage movement and interaction that made the boundary between the stage and the crowd almost nonexistent. You could find Sam Hong (vocals/guitar), George Curnick (guitar), and Kieran Fergusson (bass) rocking out at different sides of the stage every few minutes, and it was absolutely warranted.

Íris Souto (synth/backup vocals) and Kieran Fergusson (bass guitar)

The red and pink hues that showered Hongza throughout the set deservingly locked in a spotlight for each musician. Beyond Hong, Curnick, and Fergusson swaying their electric guitars and bass at the stage forefront, Íris Souto’s vocals were so divinely coupled with Hong’s vocals to the point that it felt as if their voices were floating above our heads. Additionally, Cameron Ford’s drumming propelled the vocals and guitar riffs through the ceiling each time the crash and ride cymbals were hit. This satisfying combination of sounds was especially evident in the performance of Hongza’s unreleased track: “Stuck In It.” By the end of the set, Hong once again took to the mic to hype up the audience for sunnbrella’s headlining performance, which would proceed to perfectly wrap up the night.

Before going into sunnbrella’s set, I would like to give a special thank you to Hongza for sending over “Stuck In It,” their unreleased track. On the train back to the Netherlands, I listened to the track perhaps over a dozen times. Look out for its formal release and check out some of Hongza’s singles, such as “Lovesick” and “She Changes The Weather”!

sunnbrella: Transported through time; immersed in the moment

The brief transition into sunnbrella’s was smooth yet transformative. Opening bands, Sun Spot and Hongza, embraced either a blue or red-lighted ambiance during their performances–but sunnbrella truly came full circle with a mix between those blue and red hues. Although this may seem like a trivial detail, it certainly set the tone for the waves of emotions and rippling shoegaze sounds that would give prominence to sunnbrella’s unforgettable performance. In other words, sunnbrella’s music can make anyone feel like the coolest person in the world.

Sunnbrella opened their set with “Ivy League,” which is the tenth track off of their debut album from 2023, Heartworn. In The New Curious City’s review of Heartworn, Elliott Hay describes the opening guitar riff of “Ivy League” so well: “There’s just something so electric about the way that riff takes off down the runway.” Even on a small stage, the band propels their addictive sound across every corner of the venue. The live take on the track especially spotlights the exhilarating drum beats by Benedict McDowell that dance with fluttering, guitar-driven noise: the staple sound of shoegaze. “Ivy League” was just the beginning, but it is a perfect introduction of sunnbrella’s music to live audiences.

Beyond the shoegaze sound, sunnbrella boasts their multifaceted discography which digs into pop, breakbeat, and an overall genreless mix of electronic and rock styles that transports you through time. We got a taste of both the band’s energetic mystique and multi-talented nature during their performance of “Defend Urself,” the seventh track off of Heartworn. It was thrilling to see David Žbrika (lead guitar/vocals) and Jamal Malik (bass) at the forefront, headbanging and swaying along to the track in unison. Turning to other audience members, I realized that almost everyone was headbanging to “Defend Urself” across the room! Before going into the next track, Żbrika took a moment to acknowledge the band’s drummer, Ben, for his jaw-dropping skills that fueled the dopamine rush from “Defend Urself.”

Jamal Malik (left) and David Žbirka (right) swaying in unison.

It was a privilege to hear two newly released and one unreleased track from sunnbrella. Towards the beginning of their set, Žbirka introduced a new song called “Omnimori,” which is currently unavailable on streaming platforms (or so I believe). “Omnimori” is a gorgeous track that has all of the earworm-inducing elements of sunnbrella’s music: pulsing drums, lingering vocal melodies, dreamy backing vocals (from Claire Peng), beautifully raw bass guitar, and shoegaze-y noise. Take a listen!

Omnimori by Sunnbrella live at moth club.mp4

In addition to “Omnimori,” sunnbrella performed two new singles from earlier in 2024 called “have your say” and “kiss on credit.” In the studio versions of these two tracks, they take on a heavier electronic sound compared to the live performance. The all-encompassing breakbeat sound in “have your say” is done justice by drummer, Benedict McDowell, and both Žbirka and Claire Peng (backing vocals) powerfully match the energy of the song despite the heavy instrumental. Next, “kiss on credit” was only released a week prior to the show on June 7th, so it was a pleasure to witness this more pop-driven track take the shape of a drum-heavy live performance with vocal harmonies at the forefront. Sunnbrella’s impressive live takes of their two new singles would make anyone thrilled to see what innovative musical direction the band is taking in the near future.

David Žbirka’s sick pedalboard.

Besides the band’s newer tracks, sunnbrella solidified their sonic vision of Heartworn as they played a few more tracks off of the album. Heartworn was one of 2023’s most cohesive yet trailblazing projects, so being able to hear how sunnbrella reimagines this near-perfect album in a live setting created a new, deep appreciation for each track that was featured live. For me, the sixth track on the album, “No More,” especially stuck with me following its live performance. The guitar riff that comes in during the chorus became especially addicting and noteworthy when played live by Samson Srinuan (guitar/keys). Again, the high-low harmonies of Žbirka and Peng’s vocals are perfectly suited, especially for the mood of “No More.”

Blue lighting took over the performance of “No More.”

In an interview back in 2022 with Alternative Friday, Žbirka described sunnbrella’s live performance sound as “more raw and a bit noisier than the recordings, [although he tries] to get as close to the studio versions as possible.” This night at MOTH Club showed us that sunnbrella’s current live sound is certainly refined yet consciously interspersed with the raw, noisy elements that comprise sunnbrella’s powerful shoegaze sound and their electronically driven tracks as well. This was quite apparent to the point where a drunk, older man entered the venue asking my sister beside me, “Is Slowdive playing right now?” Although the man was disruptive during the later part of sunnbrella’s set, you would have to admit that his intoxicated judgment of sunnbrella that drew comparisons to Slowdive is positively amusing.

After (what did not feel like) an hour, sunnbrella ended their set with a classic: “Fever Dream,” the opening track on Heartworn. Perhaps the drunken man foreshadowed this track, as it samples an unreleased track by Slowdive titled “Sleep.” The interpolated Slowdive riff plays throughout the track, but Žbirka’s music production genius takes listeners into another dimension of time. Just like how “Ivy League” gave listeners a full taste of sunnbrella’s sonic capabilities in the beginning of the set, their closing performance of “Fever Dream” pulled the audience along into a musical time machine that flawlessly fuses the band’s 90s shoegaze inspiration with their fresh, genre-molding sound. Dark red-hued lights deluged the stage during sunnbrella’s final performance, encouraging the “time machine” trance that engulfed the audience. How can anyone top that modern shoegaze experience?

When all was said, sang, and done, I knew that I had to acquire a physical version of Heartworn. David Žbirka sat at the merch table following the show, and when my sister wanted to act cool as I purchased a vinyl, Žbirka shook her hand and said, “Hi, I’m David.” That amusing moment is still ingrained in my mind. Nonetheless, it took several moments to adjust back into reality as we exited MOTH Club at midnight. I looked back at the selectively lit building and stared for a few minutes because it felt impossible to put that live experience into words at the time. Needless to say, the last night of sunnbrella’s 2024 UK headline tour was heaven. If you ever get the chance to see sunnbrella, Sun Spot, and/or Hongza play live, go for it!