INVOLVING MUSIC IN REVIEW | THE HOWLERS RETURN TO EXETER FOR A PACKED NIGHT AT THE CAVERN

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Involving Music’s volunteer community created this review and photography. Their contributions help capture the sound and atmosphere of singles, albums and live shows across the South West of England, giving space to genuine fan voices and local perspectives. These pieces sit alongside our Spotlight features, helping shine a light on the artists shaping the region.

The Howlers; Photo Credit Sarah Kemp
The Howlers; Photo Credit Sarah Kemp
The Howlers; Photo Credit Sarah Kemp

Written & photographed by IM Community Reviewer: Sarah Kemp

The Cavern is celebrating its 35th year of live music, and The Howlers were keen to mark the occasion by playing their first gig in Exeter for two years. On Friday, 27 February, I headed down to The Cavern to see The Howlers return to Exeter for their first gig in the city in two years. I caught up with singer Adam Young for a pint at Exeter Phoenix before the show.

Adam is genuinely one of the nicest people I’ve interviewed. I had to stop recording after 30 minutes (note to self: charge phone fully!), but we ended up chatting for another 20 minutes afterwards about his days as a mod and how his family first introduced him to the soul scene. Though I’ve heard their music described as a cross between soul and rock, Adam and I chatted about how the label doesn’t quite fit.

As he put it, he sometimes feels like an alien in the UK.

– The Howlers

We also chatted about how the Howlers are better known in the US and Europe, which Adam admits feels a little strange. As he put it, he sometimes feels like an alien in the UK. The band have recently signed with a European label after receiving an offer that was too good to turn down.

Their first album was released independently and cost a lot to produce, and at times, it was a real struggle to keep going. Adam spoke about letting a friend who delivered sandwiches sleep on his sofa, and how some days the only meal he had was leftover egg and cress.

There was also a difficult moment a few weeks ago when Adam perforated an eardrum while on stage, something that was still causing him pain. Having listened to him explain just how hard he has worked to make The Howlers a success, it’s no surprise he pushed through to finish the tour.

Adam also talked about the venues they play in the UK, which are often much smaller than the rooms that have become their bread and butter across the US and Europe. Still, he clearly has a soft spot for the small, sweaty heritage venues – and The Cavern definitely fits that description.

I wandered over to catch the support band Half Cut, whose members are all based in the Exeter area. They were playing a lot of new songs, describing their set as a sort of reward system – the more times you come to see them, the more new material you get to hear.

Half Cut have a bit of a 70s look about them. The lead singer was wearing flares and a vest, with shaggy long hair. He looked cool. They all looked cool. They played mostly their own songs, along with an excellent cover of The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun.” The energy and musical talent really shone through, and I was genuinely mesmerised by their version. I was still singing it to myself on the way home, despite not really being a fan of The Animals!

I also loved the final song of their set, “Cirque du Travaille,” which features on their EP. Half Cut have had a line-up change in the last six months, but you would never have guessed; they played like a band that had been together for years. I had a quick chat with them afterwards, and they described themselves as a traditional rock and roll band. They spoke about how they’re also excited to be sharing the bill with Die Twice and The Molotovs at Plymouth’s Sound Festival in July.

After spending so long chatting with Adam, I was keen to hear The Howlers for myself. I was not disappointed. I’m not sure if it was technically a sell-out, but the venue was packed, and no one was sitting in the bar. The crowd was clearly there for the music. A lot of people seemed to know the songs, and there was great interaction between Adam and the audience, with the occasional shout from the crowd that he was quick to respond to.

At the moment, The Howlers consist of just Adam and a drummer, but Adam has more than enough energy and stage presence to fill the small stage. “Viper,” the first single from their new album due out in October, went down well with the crowd. They also played “You Can Be So Cruel,” which is my personal favourite and clearly popular with the audience too.

After the show, I spotted Adam chatting with fans at the merch stand. We had spoken earlier about how much he enjoys doing that, taking the time to meet people and build a relationship with the fans.

I had a great evening. I made sure to tell Adam that Exeter has plenty of venues of all sizes, so The Howlers should definitely come back. They don’t have plans just yet, as a large European tour is coming up. When the new album launches, they’ll also be playing a run of record shop shows across the UK – two a day for a couple of weeks. The nearest one for us might be Rough Trade in Bristol, although the dates aren’t confirmed yet. After that, a US tour is on the horizon.

Definitely a band to keep an eye on.

Thanks to Sarah, one of our brilliant community reviewers, for sharing her words and capturing the atmosphere of the night so thoughtfully. Sarah regularly heads out to gigs across the South West on behalf of Involving Music, helping us reflect real experiences and genuine fan perspectives from the crowd.

If you love live music, enjoy writing and fancy being part of our volunteer community, we’d love to hear from you. Our reviewers get the chance to attend gigs, bag themselves a great night out and help shine a light on South West artists and venues.

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– Sarah Kemp

Sarah is from the midlands and in her teenage years was involved in the music scene in Stourbridge home of many bands including The Wonder Stuff, PWEI and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin. Although Sarah does enjoy a bit of indie music her main love is 60’s and 70’s soul, mod revival, ska, acid jazz, reggae and funk. Sarah lived in London for 20 years and moved to the South West in 2011. Now her children have left home instead of taking up gardening or baking Sarah is back going to mod rallies and as many gigs as possible!

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