Halflives arrive on Tyneside as part of a formidable triple bill featuring US outfit Chapel and tour headliners The Faim.
Here at National Rock Review we took a trip to Think Tank in Newcastle to witness the much talked about opening act themselves.
By Halflives lead vocalist Linda Battilani’s admission via Instagram, the group’s first visit to Newcastle back in 2015 didn’t go entirely as planned. However, tonight’s show in the North East is a completely different story.
With such a strong bill on display tonight, the eager fans of this incredible trio of emerging talent have been queuing outside of the venue since 10.30am. Bearing in mind that the North East been battered with snow and sub-zero temperatures this weekend, it just goes to show the dedication of the fans of these three groups.
Therefore, it goes without saying that the room is packed to the rafters from the start of the evening with a full house in attendance to witness Halflives set at the top of the night.
It’s always difficult being the first band to go on, especially so early in the evening but this doesn’t seem to daunt Halflives at all, in fact, they completely embrace the situation. The band play through their 30 minute set like a headliner in their own right. Their energy and enthusiasm is infectious.
Battilani’s angelic voice and engaging persona completely captivate the crowd from the off. Throughout the course of their 30 minute set Linda can often be found prowling the edge of the stage, arms wide open whilst reaching out her microphone into the audience. The fans don’t have to be asked twice to wholeheartedly sing back every word to the stage.
Halflives set largely comes from their 2017 debut album Empty Rooms, with five tracks from the record featuring this evening. This includes the likes of the euphoric “Mayday”, the incredibly infectious “Half Alive”, and an emotive airing of “Collide”.
With a lot of opening acts, it’s difficult to make a connection with the audience. However, Halflives don’t have this problem at all; Battilani completely commands the crowd from the off. The fans fully participate throughout the course of the Paris-based outfit’s seven-song set. Whether that be jumping around, crouching down to the ground or by showing their support by throwing their illuminated cell phones up in the air.
At the end of last year, Halflives released their incredible latest single “Fugitive”, which of course features in the latter stages of the set. With its uplifting melody, catchy hooks and hard-hitting rhythm, the song is one of the many highlights of the set.
Halflives bring their proceedings to a close with a beautiful airing of “Burn”, a song which really highlights Battilani’s immense vocal range. Linda channels so much of herself into her performance, each song delivered with passion, raw emotion and conviction. The Tyneside crowd are left wanting more.
On the strength of tonight’s performance in the North East, it’s fair to say that Halflives will be one to watch out for in 2019. It won’t be long before the alt-pop-rock quartet will be headlining venues of this size in their own right.
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Halflives
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Event Date: 09-Feb-2019