Pattern Pusher returned to their hometown of Exeter for the second date on their spring tour, bringing retro-pop back to Devon.
Fronted by Alex Johnstone, the band made an instant impact with Lose Myself and crowd favourite Come Along. With infusions of disco beats it wasn’t long before the crowd was bouncing along to the songs, igniting bassist Ben Green (BennyG) to start dancing across the stage for the entire set.
Pattern Pusher played their new single Holding On which received a great reception from the crowd who seemed to already know the lyrics. The song is almost a mix of Bee Gees funk meets Daði Freyr synths creating a contemporary 70’s aesthetic. The track was even better live than in the studio with drummer Benjamin Conibear (BennyC) keeping the flow while Johnstone could really get into the song vocally.
The band seem as gelled as a group can be and their off-stage chemistry clearly reflects on stage where the show seemed effortless. Having seen them perform at various sized venues it’s clear that the band give everything when they’re in front of a crowd regardless of the venue size. Sometimes it’s hard to know where to look, what with BennyG ready to crowd surf any minute, (and he did!), Johnstone leading the line with his impressive vocals and keyboard playing and BennyC at the back with a smile on his face the entire show.
With the ease of a group that’s been together for 40 years, it’s hard to believe that they’re still relatively new to the scene and that this was only the second show of the tour. Their sound is refreshing yet familiar, so very different to a lot of bands coming out of the area.
Their tour continues in the South West before heading north towards Manchester, Newcastle and up to Scotland for a date in Glasgow before dropping back down to London and Bristol.
9/10
Word and Photos by: Caitlyn Ebsworthy
