In a night charged with anticipation and indie rock fervour, London’s Roundhouse venue played host to a blistering set from The K’s — but it was Essex alt-rock outfit The Bracknall who first lit the fuse. Opening for one of the UK’s fastest-rising live acts is no easy feat, especially at a venue as revered as Camden’s Roundhouse, but The Bracknall delivered a commanding, confident performance that firmly positioned them as serious contenders in Britain’s new wave of guitar bands.
The Bracknall @ Roundhouse
The band took to the stage with No Way Back For Me, a thunderous, emotionally-charged opener that channels the urgency of ’90s Britpop with a cinematic twist. A striking piano motif drew the crowd in before frontman Jack Longman’s vocal soared across the venue, exuding a rawness that sat somewhere between Richard Ashcroft’s melancholy and Alex Turner’s swagger. From that moment, The Bracknall had the room in the palm of their hand with football chant-style shouts of “Brack-naaaaaal” flowing across the venue.
What followed was a slick and polished set that never lost momentum. Tracks like Get Better and Higher You Fly, Sweeter The Fall brought punchy rhythm sections and nostalgic melodies, while newer material hinted at a band expanding their sonic palette beyond their retro touchpoints. Feeling Blue, one of the night’s standouts, was met with warm recognition — its themes of longing and identity clearly resonating with an audience made up of both long-time fans and curious newcomers.
Throughout their half-hour set, The Bracknall showed no signs of nerves. Instead, they played like a band on the cusp of something bigger — and the crowd responded in kind. The atmosphere in the Roundhouse was electric, with hands raised and voices echoing back on every chorus. The band’s three-part harmonies — especially on Fall Out Of View — rang out gloriously, while I Don’t Understand It, sprinkled with murmurings of Stone Roses’ Love Spreads, provided a fitting end to a set that was both emotionally resonant and sonically exhilarating.
If there was any question of whether The Bracknall could step up to a venue of this calibre and an audience this size, they answered it emphatically. Their music — a fusion of Britpop romanticism, indie grit, and sharp lyrical introspection — feels ready for the biggest stages. Supporting The K’s may have been their slot tonight, but it won’t be long before The Bracknall are headlining rooms like this themselves.
Live review & photography of The Bracknall @ The Roundhouse, London by Kalpesh Patel on 13h April 2025.
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