Gig Review: SON Estrella Galicia Make Their Debut At The Sebright Arms With Man/Woman/Chainsaw and AtticOmatic

A full house, free beer, and fierce sets: SON Estrella Galicia is here to remind you that London’s live scene is alive and thrashing.

London rising stars Man/Woman/Chainsaw have taken to the Sebright Arms in a sold out show put on by long-running musical project SON Estrella Galicia. Offering a free bottle of Estrella Galicia and a slice of pizza, the night is already off to an excellent start. Opening for the band are Brighton newcomers AtticOmatic, a post-rock five-piece who are steadily gaining traction after releasing their debut EP Fold The World in May — while showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.

The venue itself is relatively bare bones with the event lacking in frills, clearly showing that the point of focus for the evening was on the bands and the music itself. It is refreshing to see a brand give back to the community in this way, not only promoting the venue but managing to completely sell out the show. AtticOmatic take to the stage first, taking inspiration from 80s dream-pop darlings ‘Cocteau Twins’ and combining it with both freeform jazz noodling and more precise post-rock. The band play through their EP with aplomb, the standout instrument being the synth, played skilfully by Kamran Kaur who is also one half of the band’s vocals.

AtticOmatic at The Sebright Arms.

Next up was the star of the evening: Man/Woman/Chainsaw, who strut on stage while 50 Cent’s ‘In da Club’ echoes throughout the room. The heat has caused the air to solidify, making the already claustrophobic space feel even smaller. A crowd of 120 people are packed like sardines lying in wait to see how the band is going to start. A surprisingly high number of these sardines are middle aged men, waiting to see if this band will be the group who saves rock and roll in the modern age.

The band cut through the humidity with opening number ‘The Boss’ from their debut EP Eazy Peazy. The song is one of their strongest compositions, with fast and hard guitar riffs complementing the vocals that just roll off the tongue of singer/bassist Vera Leppänen, at times almost punching through them entirely while still allowing just enough breathing room for the words to come into their own. By the time they start their second song ‘Adam & Steve’ the room itself is sweating, the air is thick with both perspiration and elation. The band sounds massive, but the violin — courtesy of Clio Starwood — slices through the sweltering atmosphere like a knife through warm butter. The music swells as the organised chaos reaches its peak, only to slow down and get quieter as the band softly starts to play their next song ‘Omppu’ which is a slower, more somber number which immediately followed by ‘Grow A Tongue In Time’. This quick change highlights one of Man/Woman/Chainsaw’s most impressive features: their tonal range.

Man/Woman/Chainsaw at The Sebright Arms.

It was remarkable to see the band glide between different tones throughout the show without losing momentum or the attention of the crowd. These transitions often feel seamless, sometimes taking a few seconds for the room to even acknowledge the change in pace. Man/Woman/Chainsaw does not ask you to slow down or be quiet, yet they play in a way that forces the crowd to do it, almost against their will. The band finishes up their set with ‘Ode To Clio’ with more rapturous guitar riffs and angsty, high octane drums to the delight of the crowd who holler through the sweat soaked air with delight as the band leave the stage.

But the night wasn’t over just yet — it would conclude after-hours with a DJ set from East London post-punks Warmduscher. And with that, SON Estrella Galicia seems to be on a roll. Turning local, small-venue gigs into sold out spectacles while promoting beer culture is earning them the adoration and trust of London gig-goers. With a high bar set, the challenge now lies in will have maintaining momentum to safeguard the community-driven goodwill that they have worked so hard to acquire.

Photo Credit: Alex Amoros