Welly at Heartbreakers Southampton

A night of fun, laughter, and incredible live music hit Heartbreakers in Southampton, courtesy of Dork Magazine and the Dork Tour.

The gig began with an epic performance by duo The Pill, made up of Lily and Lottie, who graced the stage with a brilliant set, with my personal highlights being performances of their recent single ‘Money Mullet’, and ‘Woman Driver’. The passion the duo brought to the stage set the mood for the rest of the night perfectly. The band’s blend of impeccable musicality, fun dancing, and quips to the crowd provided many cheers. You should definitely keep your eye on The Pill, their powerful voices and amazing stage presence should not be understated.

Next on the stage was the ever so talented Polly Money. Starting off her set with ‘Water’, Money immediately drew the audience in with her smooth vocals, sounding nothing less than angelic to the crowd. Despite the venue being sold out this night, Money had the ability to make you feel as though she was singing right to you as she continued her set displaying her idyllic vocals. Between songs, Money worked the crowd, who in turn, were keen to show their appreciation for the brilliance she had been presenting. Continuing with othe

r highlights, like her single ‘Anything’, and newest single, ‘Milk & Honey’, Money captivated the crowd with her silky playing style- surely having gained new listeners this night.

Then came the main act, Welly! The Brighton-based five-piece bounded onto the stage, donning polos, pinafores, and ties, to the sound of ‘Yellow’- setting the tone for what would go on to be an extremely entertaining, energetic, and nostalgic set. The atmosphere inside Heartbreakers became electric as the band played hit after hit, with crowd favourites seeming to be ‘Soak up the Culture’, and ‘Cul-de-sac’, whilst a personal highlight for me was the performance of the band’s newest single ‘The Roundabout Racehorse’. Having only been out for a week at this point, the performance of the newest single garnered much attention, illuminating Welly’s trademark Brit-pop style. Every song performed contained an energy that cannot be replicated, this is a band that knows how to work a crowd. The charisma of frontman Welly also brought much laughter to the Heartbreakers, most notably the banter between Southampton local Welly and Portsmouth residents in the audience, noting that Portsmouth is nothing if not a suburb of Southampton. The audience responded to the band’s incredible stage presence entirely, with people of all ages giggling and dancing to the tunes played for us. The band clearly fed off the energy of the crowd, it seemed as though the five-piece would never tire of bouncing around the stage- and I am grateful for it, the curated chaos on stage was charming. It is their charisma combined with the wittiness of the band’s lyrics and dazzling instrumentals that proved Welly know how to put on a show; what a fantastic night for live music in Southampton.

Welly go on tour across the UK in April, you can find tickets here. The band’s debut album ‘Big in the Suburbs’ is out March 21st- you can listen to the first songs here