Following their debut in 2016, and having wowed us at Visions Festival back in 2015, and Green Man Festival last year, I was super keen to make the hat-trick and catch vivacious Spanish quartet Hinds live at the relatively local venue of Electric Brixton.
Bringing with them the Madrid sunshine (and commenting that some of us “even look a little burnt”), following support sets from Horsey and Baywaves, Hinds bound onto the stage, immediately oozing their truly infectious charisma and kicking things off with ‘The Club’, opening track from their brand new album I Don’t Run. 2016’s ‘Chilli Town’ is greeted by whoops and cheers as the band continue to exude their joyous, jangly scuzz.
With each moment spent with this band, the sheer sense of glee heightens, such is the sunny spirit of Carlotta, Ana, Ade and Amber. Propelled by an unrelenting, uplifting energy, they launch into a vibrant cover of Kevin Ayers’ ‘Caribbean Moon’ as the crowd dance along in buoyant bliss.
The sense of delight remains when Carlotta gets told by the venue that crowd-surfing is not allowed; despite the disappointment, she continues in typical, beautifully breezy fashion for the next few songs. Even when introducing ‘Tester’ with the evident bitterness of a past relationship – “We repeat six times in this song ‘should I’ve known before you were also banging her?'” – the mood remains as the band continue to blast out their feisty, frenzied lo-fi garage rock.
Following the cacophonous bliss of personal favourite ‘Bamboo’, fellow Madrid band Baywaves join the stage and Hinds show the world (Brixton) that they make their own rules, as Carlotta and Ana launch into the crowd and surf away, their bodies floating atop a mass of adoring, sweaty fans. A glorious chaos ensues, bringing the set to a momentary close.
Returning to the stage for a few more fantastically energy-fuelled blasts, Hinds have treated us to a perfectly euphoric evening; a most fitting accompaniment to Thursday’s fleeting heatwave, it’s sunny and spirited in all the right ways, leaving me grinning from cheek to cheek in utter bliss.
Mari Lane
@marimindles
Get In Her Ears 
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