Having supported the likes of Wargasm, Delilah Bon and The Hara and with recent singles featured on BBC Introducing, Eville’s star is undoubtedly on the rise. And now, returning tonight as the hometown headliner, it is the Green Door Store which the three-piece have chosen to grace with their melodic, electro-punk inspired “Brat metal” as part of what they are calling an Anti-Valentine’s Day party.
Amidst a backdrop of heart-shaped balloons and crimson roses the crowd are brought to simmer by support act Hell Hotel and at times boil over during Blue Eyed Giants’ spirited set. But it is Eville and their assured brand of good-intentioned bad intentions that sees the crowd surge, roll and riot for the remainder of the evening.
The band wastes no time with niceties, there are no flowers at the door. Instead, new single Plaything quickly whips the crowd into a frenzy. The track, released earlier this month, perfectly showcases frontwoman Eva Sheldrake’s virtuosic vocals, jumping as it does from rap-like verses to soaring anthemic choruses and the heavier vocal fry.
The band rattles through a catalogue that boasts a rostra of certified hits. Blood is a powerhouse of a track and Leech a bass-heavy dance anthem. Hyperpop-like choruses are eagerly sung along to by a legion of faithful and the room readily parts for circle pits and walls of death, accompanying Sheldrake’s thumping riffs that wouldn’t feel out of place beneath a Camden pub in the early 00s.
It is through their heavier tracks that the band make their case as ones to watch. At times it is anarchic, riotous, joyful rags-to-riffs madness, with breakdowns descending anvil-like from the storm’s preparatory calm, like hailstones from a cloudless sky. It’s fun, it’s furious and it’s finding an ever-increasing following. Crawl Back is a highlight of the evening and Messy, one of the trio’s earliest releases, proves they had this prowess from the off.
The night culminates with the latter track’s bone-shuddering outro played out beneath a pulsing light display. Sheldrake and bassist Jude Richards spill from the stage to gleefully mosh in a pit of their own making. The distortion had yet to ring out before cries of “one more song” echoed about the venue. Eville are ready to oblige and it’s a special treat they have in store for all present – a crowd-pleasing cover of Limp Bizkit’s My Generation.
It’s a sing-along thank you to the fans and a f*** you to the foes and it leaves the crowd simultaneously nostalgic for the past and excited for the future. This is a generation to give a f*** about and, although it may have been an “anti-valentines” day party, there was certainly plenty of love in the room.
Green Door Store, Friday 21st February 2025
Photo by Anthony Lawrence
