NOAHFINNCE, TAYLOR ACORN & SOUTH ARCADE ELECTRIFY THE ELECTRIC BALLROOM, CAMDEN.
words + photography by Nicola O'ConnellNoahfinnce & support took the Electric Ballroom in Camden by storm on Wednesday for the final night of his UK tour. The line-up was perfect with Taylor Acorn & South Arcade to get everyone excited before Noah would take the stage.
Up first we had South Arcade, who I’d like to point out are everywhere this year from supporting other bands/artists and also embarking on a headline tour of their own in September. And I don’t say that as a bad thing, it’s impressive and hats off to them for getting themselves out there as much as possible, building their fan base because they deserve the attention they’re getting. I first got to see them supporting Taylor Acorn earlier in the year so I was looking forward to seeing them again. These guys have a cool Y2K aesthetic and sound with their music which is (literal) music to my ears as someone who grew up through that era. They kicked off their set with ‘DANGER’, following with songs from their latest EP ‘2005’ such as ‘HOW 2 GET AWAY WITH MURDER’ and ‘Nepo Baby’. South Arcade could never bore with the way they ooze cool and dominate a stage of any size, pumping up both their own fans and those newly discovering them. I better see these guys again sometime next year, I highly recommend them to anyone into their pop-rock/pop-punk/alternative genres.
Upon further research, I’ve just spotted the band will be playing Slam Dunk Festival next year in 2025. To anyone attending the festival: I BEG that you go support South Arcade. You won’t be disappointed.
Next up on the bill was Taylor Acorn, someone I’ve now seen 5 times in the past 2 years and I’m convinced she could never disappoint even if she tried. There’s this corner of music I’m simply obsessed with when it comes to female singers in the pop-rock/pop-punk genres & for me Taylor just tops that area. She gives us the music that I was dying for when I was a teenager, truly in the depths of my pop-punk & American rock era with bands like blink-182, Paramore, Boys Like Girls and The Maine. Taylor Acorn opened her set up with ‘Final Nail’ from the recently released debut album ‘Survival in Motion’. She has such an incredible ability to rally a crowd no matter who the fans are there to see (having personally witnessed this at Download Fest. 2023, I’m still in awe). Taylor comes in and quite frankly slaps you with some deep lyrics regarding mental health and other experiences, but packages those words up in such upbeat-catchy songs that you can’t help but to sing, actually, scream along those words with her. Other songs from the night included ‘Certified Depressant’, ‘Coma’, ‘Wishing You Hell’ and ‘Greener’. Taylor Acorn and fellow band really rocked the stage giving it their all, with guitarist Ricky Jab spinning like a tornado with his guitar and Connor Allen on drums sending his drumsticks spinning up into orbit before catching them. As per usual, another superb set from Taylor Acorn and crew.
Finally, Noahfinnce is to take the stage for the last night of his headlining tour. Noahfinnce is an artist I’ve been dying to see so I was super excited for the evening ahead, especially after missing out on the opportunity to see him at BLUDFEST earlier this year. Before stepping out, the song ‘Girls’ by The Dare starts playing and I cannot lie.. it’s become a slight obsession of mine. It’s pretty iconic and hilariously set the tone perfectly before the guys come out. So Noah bursts onto stage and there’s no holding back with the level of energy he brings, starting with songs “I Know Better”, “3 Days Headache” and “Weirdos”. The stage is lit with retro style, tv-screen props which make a super cool backdrop whilst the lighting was (what I presume purposefully ) flicking through the colours used on the trans flag.
Noahfinnce also played fan favourites such as “Life’s A Bit”, “Growing Up On The Internet”, “Pet With The Tism” and “Scumbag”. During Noahfinnce’s last song the stage is crashed by fellow support acts Taylor Acorn, South Arcade and others appearing to be friends and family as a last hoorah to the tour. Everyone was jumping around and singing along showing support for Noahfinnce on his last night of tour.
With the online presence Noah has, with content relating to their own journey, I truly hope that his fans in the crowd with similar backgrounds felt accepted and comfortable knowing they were also surrounded by people who would understand them most. Noah’s created a wonderful community and should be proud of both his personal and music journey.