Seasonal @ The Face Bar (Reading, UK) on May 26, 2017 [Show Review]

One place you wouldn’t expect, or even want to be on a Friday night on one of the hottest days of the year, is the dark sweaty confines of the back bar of The Face Bar, Reading. However, I’m here to see local(ish) Guildford quartet Seasonal, one of the most anticipated newcomers in the pop rock scene. Just a week after releasing their superb 5-track EP Bloom, Seasonal hit the stage to a virtually empty room with a surprisingly refreshing enthusiasm.

It’s clear from the very outset that these guys are amazingly talented musicians with each one bringing personality and drive to songs which are engaging and endearing in equal measure. Fans of bands including Deaf Havana, Jimmy Eat World and Young Guns will soak up this combination of mature pop-punk rhythms with pop rock sensibilities, as displayed by the uptempo drive of “Headphones” with a chorus so big it deserves an arena-size crowd singing it back to them.

Standout moments include the single “Certainty”, followed by “These Times”, whilst the raw emotion showed by bassist/singer Matt Truseler on the guitar-laden sparkle of “Homeward” highlights a certain vulnerability which is mesmerising to watch.

There is no hiding Seasonal may currently have a limited set of songs to pick from, however by ending the set with a storming run through of “Ranger” with its building energy and a thunderous drum performance from Alex Tickner, only proves that what they do have is passion and drive by the truckload, and will (and deserve) to be playing to more than a handful of people. If you’re lucky, you may just catch them in a venue this small again…however, I’m predicting not for long.

Check out the new video for “Headphones” taken from the debut EP Bloom