Sudden Lights Live at the Macbeth, London.
21 February 2024
Outside of the yearly Jaņi Festival (Midsummer festival) that takes place at Catthorpe Manor, it is not often that the UK sees an act from Latvia playing in the country.
Past standalone shows have included UK appearances from big names such as Carnival Youth, but the demand for Latvian artists to play their shows in the UK is definitely on the rise. This show by Sudden Lights was one of those in addition to the upcoming UK appearances by Prāta Vētra (Brainstorm) and the legendary Latvian rapper OZOLS. Forming in 2012, Sudden Lights have recently gained momentum internationally by representing Latvia at the 2023 Eurovision competition. Despite not qualifying for the final, it’s evident that the band have seized the opportunity to continue to build a fanbase abroad.
Welcomed to London by the Latvian Embassy in the UK before the show, their UK debut took place on Feb. 21 at the 250-capacity pub/music venue The Macbeth in Hoxton. While the band is playing at much bigger venues, stages, and events back home in Latvia, this allowed their UK fanbase to experience a more intimate setting in which to see them play. The room was completely packed, and saw the attendance of Eurovision fanatics, new fans, and old fans.
The set started strong with one of their recent releases from last summer, “Mēs Turpināmies” (We Continue). The band followed this up by asking whether anyone in the crowd was Latvian, with quite a few people present answering yes. While they do have some English numbers, the crowd does not die down during songs in Latvian. Moments like this make you reflect on the universality of music and how it sometimes is about the lyrics, the melodies, and the building of a community.
Another crowd favorite was their cover of Čikāgas Piecīši’s (Chicago Five) iconic song “Mūsu Mīlestība” (Our Love), which had the crowd singing at the top of their lungs. Of course, the evening was not complete without the band performing an acoustic version of “Aijā” (Shush), their 2023 Eurovision entry. Being their first time in London, the band announced that they wanted to treat the crowd to a live debut of their new track “Eastern European Dream” which will be released on Mar. 15.
Closing off their set, the band took a trip down memory lane with their song “Just Fine,” which they entered in 2018 at Supernova (the Latvian selection competition for Eurovision). Although they were not selected that year to represent Latvia, the band performed this with such a passion that you can see that the band are very proud of it. They follow this swiftly, to the crowd’s delight, with an upbeat version of their 2023 entry “Aijā,” which they performed acoustically earlier in the set. Evidently, for the fans, this set was not enough, and as soon as they thanked the crowd in both English and Latvian, the crowd chanted for an encore. The band was happy to grant their wishes, playing a cover of “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Beatles and rounding off their encore with their song “Laternas” (Lanterns).
Despite minor technical issues during the show, the band played a solid debut show in London, well received by their fans and community. A show attended by people of all ages, both Latvian and English speaking, has demonstrated that the band has kept momentum after their Eurovision appearance. Additionally, they have proven there is a demand for Latvian artists to perform in the UK and that music can build a community at home and abroad regardless of the language.
