SEA GIRLS SOAR TO NEW HEIGHTS IN BIRMINGHAM WITH MIDNIGHT BUTTERFLIES

Following years of non-stop touring, touching every corner of the world, the rock quartet have dominated the live scene with generational indie anthems. In 2024, Sea Girls are the slickest they’ve ever been, powering through well-oiled performances backed by their best album to date: Midnight Butterflies. As they arrive at Birmingham’s O2 Academy, this is a band at their very best, with still much more to give.

Sea Girls quickly rose to notoriety in 2020 with their long-awaited debut album Open Up Your Head, after a lengthy string of successful singles. Over the last four years, their music has become synonymous with indie, allowing them to conquer stages worldwide. The band played their biggest headline show in 2022 at Alexandra Palace which was later turned into a live album.

After a colourful injection of indie-pop from rising peers Daydreamers, Sea Girls strutted on stage to an electrifying backdrop showing their logo morphed into wings. The four (Henry, Rory, Andrew and Oli) all donned edgy fits, showing a sense of casual rock n’ roll.

When the suspenseful music ended, they bounced into the title track Midnight Butterflies unleashing a euphoric optimism through the crowd. From the immediate reaction of everyone, there’s no doubt that Sea Girls has cracked the indie formula and won’t be disappearing anytime soon.

Without hesitation, we transported into First On My List. As one of our favourites on the new record, it follows a similar direction to previous hit Sick. While the verses hear Henry (well) listing things gradually, the contrasting chorus is a glorious anthemic outlet. Combining these two styles creates a certified crowd-pleaser, which flips sonically against the follow-up Paracemtol Blues which is much more direct.

Across the evening, the band played predominantly Midnight Butterflies, all of which slotted in perfectly. It’s almost like they’ve been in rotation for years when some have barely seen the light of day. The increased production of their latest album shone on stage, particularly Does Only God Know That We’re Lonely? which featured the aforementioned Daydreamers for backing vocals.

However, there was still room for oldies Call Me Out, Violet and Too Much Fun which never fail to get people dancing, moshing or screaming. Most of us chose all three. Other standout tracks included Sick and Do You Really Wanna Know? which have taken on a life of their own. Elsewhere, it’s impressive to see I Want You To Know Me receive similar, if not more, reception than some of the original tunes. The band even praised Birmingham on social media as having the loudest rendition on the tour so far.

After a brief disappearance, Sea Girls returned for three tracks. Two fan-favourites, Damage Done and All I Want To Hear You Say, then a unique cover of A Bar Song (Tipsy). Classically, the finale of one of their shows always involves a lot of energy, anything you still have left must be summoned.

This show, more than ever before revealed something very important. Sea Girls don’t just have a knack for writing guaranteed crowd-pleasers that thrive on festival stages. Their tracks work in any environment, big or small, and all of which work effortlessly together to create a varied setlist which can take you to the highest of highs, and lowest of lows then back to highs once more.

We’re no strangers to the band, I have watched their rise for over 5+ years, and can comfortably say that they are thriving. Every tour tends to have a significant venue on the bill, one which holds significance or marks a moment in time for a band. These tend to have hearts and souls poured into them. For Sea Girls, it feels as if every show is as good as their biggest. Every single time. That’s what makes them special.

From sweaty backrooms to enormous festival stages to Alexandra Palace and beyond, Sea Girls have proved the party doesn’t come with the size of a venue. The party is with them, wherever it may be.