Crawlers - London Omeara -8th June 2023
The night before their set at Download Festival, I went to see the Crawlers at their sold-out performance at the London Omeara.
If you’ve not been to London Omeara, it’s extremely small. Almost unbearably small. But that's half the fun, right? With it being the beginning of the UK Summer heat weave, you can imagine how much of a sweat pit it was. The venue shows its age with rough walls, flaking multi-layers of paint and peeling silicone - it was giving off the very best old horror vibes for a good night.
But enough about the venue, I want to share with you some of my pre-show thoughts: I think Crawler fans should win a best-dressed fans award - check them out @creepycrawlersontour (https://instagram.com/creepycrawlersontour?igshid=ZWQyN2ExYTkwZQ==) Once again, I love how this generation of parents come along with their kids, I’m from the generation when my father swapped our standing tickets for seats on the day because he was told I was too young to go without an adult for the Avril Lavigne concerts…I was 11, so I guess they had a point.
It was a sea of teenagers and young adults in black clothes and heavy eyeliner, chatting pre-show about “have you seen any of the download sets? Are you going tomorrow?” Fans were connecting with each other over how they had travelled all over the country to see Crawlers. I got to chat with a few of them and it was apparent they are a community brought together by Crawlers. The band members remember most of their fans' names, recognise them from show to show and engage with them on social media. Some fans were queuing from midday and others said how they had queued from 6am for previous shows. Many discussed how they purely are going to download to see Crawlers again on Friday.
Their support act was The Sukis - imagine 70s glam rock mixed with an alternative band in 2010 with Vivienne Westwood necklaces, cowboy boots, and eye make-up. In small venues, especially when it’s sold out, support acts can sometimes half-ass it, but that was not true for The Sukis. They gave a rockstars performance that could have filled an academy-sized venue. There were a few technical issues that were out of the band's control but they did not let it phase them, most people didn’t even notice and they kept on the rhythm while sounding together and as one.
They referenced how they had met Holly through their song Becca, which she had found via social media. From that connection, they grew a truly Liverpool bound.
Now onto the main act, Crawlers…I’ve never seen them live or really heard much about their performance. Like most, I found them from their TikTok song “Come Over”. I expected a good show but I didn’t imagine their performance going above and beyond my wildest expectations and the passion they had for every song. You have fun at these shows because the band is having the time of their lives whilst on stage. Holly couldn’t control herself and jumped into the crowd on the very first song. While dancing and moving like the music with the crowd's energy moving through her.
Crawler played two unrelated songs “gloveless” and “my funeral.” They closed with an Abba Classic and put their spin on it, obvs.
They created a buzz of excitement by informing everyone on the gram that they had a massive announcement for tonight’s show. Well, it’s a good one … I’m aware you are reading this long after it’s been announced, but I still don’t want to spoil the secret, so you’ll have to check their Instagram for the announcement. Hint hint: you’re gonna want to clear q4.
