Gig Review: Adore At Brixton Windmill
A night where the Windmill’s familiar chaos, rising floorboards and all, turned two great sets from Gag Reflex and Adore into a reminder of why this tiny venue still feels larger than life.
I remember taking off the same giant blue scarf as I walked into the Windmill for the first time last February. Last Tuesday night felt just as cold, but that gritty, melodic warmth that greets you at the door was still present. My visit back in spring had satisfied my curiosity about the lore and rumblings surrounding this haven for the underground, a reputation that’s crossed the Atlantic. So I was more than happy to make that cold walk from the tube station to the storied venue once more, this time to see Gag Reflex and Adore, two bands that match the Windmill’s gloried grittiness.
Gag Reflex, a self-described “gut punch” of a band from Dublin, opened the night with grimy, haunting tunes. They played their punchy and poetic debut single ‘Man Enough,’ ’a title also emblazoned on thongs at the merch table. The band made the most of their London debut and is absolutely one to keep an eye on.
Although the stage at the Windmill looks small, almost out of place, it’s one of the few stages where bands seem to make it feel larger than life. Adore followed this pattern effortlessly. They kicked off their London headliner with ‘Fragile’ from their recent EP BITER. The song electrified two women standing behind me, who sang and jumped to every word. Noticing the energy, Lara Minchin (guitar and vocals) beckoned all the women in the audience to the front. That’s when the real magic of the Windmill kicked in. As the moshers surged, bits of ceiling began to fall and the floorboards rose with every jump. I remember looking at my friend to ask if she felt the floor moving too; she nodded, and we joined in.
Adore moved us through the rest of their EP, along with some of my favorites ‘Supermum’ and ‘Postcards,’ during which my shoe briefly got caught under one of the raised floorboards. Might have a slight twisted ankle after that, but it was well worth it. The London leg of Adore’s UK headline tour solidified them into the lore of the Windmill, with hopefully more to come.
As I left the Windmill and wrapped my giant blue scarf back around my neck, I had the same epiphany I’d had in that exact spot in February. After a week of seeing two shows featuring four Irish artists, I decided it’s time for a necessary trip to Dublin, giant blue scarf in tow.