Sea Girls – Homesick Album Launch @ The Wardrobe

Sea Girls are no strangers to the Leeds music scene. As lead singer, Henry Camamile, tells the expectant crowd, it is their third time playing at The Wardrobe alone. This is met with emphatic cheers and ‘Yorkshire/Yorkshires’ from the sold-out room of excited fans, at what is the first in a string of gigs celebrating the release of the band’s second full-length offering, ‘Homesick’.

Although the album still maintains a quintessentially Sea Girls sound, Homesick is a move away from the grungier roots of the band’s earlier releases to a decidedly more commercial offering. The catchy choruses and slick breakdowns often sound as if they are really pitched at a much larger, stadium audience, rather than the 4 walls of the Wardrobe basement. With a string of festival appearances this Summer and another full UK tour still to follow later this year, this seems unlikely to be a coincidence. It is clear that Sea Girls have their sights firmly set on the ‘mainstream’ with their second album.

Some of the more marketable lyrics do pale in comparison to those of their earlier releases, but new fan-favourites including ‘Sick’, ‘Lonely’ and ‘Paracetamol Blues’ still go down well with the receptive crowd, who are already extremely well-versed in the album’s angst-heavy hooks. Other highlights include new single ‘DNA’ and lesser-known album track ‘Cute Guys’, both of which give Camamile a chance to show off his strong vocals and impressive ability to maintain a falsetto whilst climbing the rafters of the Wardrobe’s low ceilings. The latter is actually the high point of the gig; a divergence from some of the more predictable rhythms of the album’s other tracks that takes us on a journey from slow, acoustic beginnings to a climatic finish of drums, shouting and distorted guitar riffs which fill the packed-out room.

The band clearly know their audience, finishing the short gig with old favourites ‘All I Want to Hear You Say’ and ‘Adore’ to great acclaim from the crowd. Despite the palpable disappointment at the lack of encore, overall, Sea Girls still put on a very strong showing. The band clearly thrive on live performances, and the relatability of the lyrics make them particularly well-suited to being chanted back at them by a room full of loyal 20-something fans. Sea Girls may very well have cracked the formula that will propel them further into the mainstream. If you have tickets for one of the many festivals line-ups the band have put their name to this Summer, they are certainly worth a watch to decide for yourself.