By Darren Grayer.
Young Southampton band Welly have been making quite a name or themselves since forming in 2021. Their live performances are noted for their energetic approach filled with crowd interaction that usually guarantees a fun night out.
Earlier in the year they released their debut studio album, Big In The Suburbs, a rip-roaring 14 track affair brim full of tunes that will make you, at the very least, tap your feet and put a smile on your face.
Tonight (14/10/25) sees them headline their biggest hometown gig yet at Papillion, and I feel very lucky and excited to be there, given I’ve not experienced the full Welly yet.
Cheers greet the band upon entering the stage and bass player Jacob Whitear immediately sets about whipping up more of a frenzy as the spoken background intro “And now for a moment of light entertainment” sees the drum machine kick in before the band launch wholeheartedly into the album’s title track Big In The Suburbs, an instant sing a long anthem with an underlying message filled with sharp wit and observation about the ongoing state of affairs.
“It’s monarchy and poverty that make Britain great, It’s property and proper tea and trains running late,” give you some idea of the song-writing talent of front man Elliot Hall, who goes on to tell us after the song that he’s paid an earlier visit to the Royal South Hants hospital to get his raging fever and sore throat tended to, so if things “sound a bit shit” that will be why, although something tells me he’s about to prove the adage of not keeping a good man down.
And so it transpires as Welly fairly rip through songs from the album, Soak Up The Culture, a tale about the seeming necessity to take a gap year and spend as much money as possible even if it’s not your own. Jacob Whitear appears to find it impossible to stand still for even a split second and makes his way over the stage barrier to join in with the ensuing mosh pit, still playing his bass guitar!
“This next song is about horses. Matt (guitarist Gleeson) was horse galloping champion at Thorndon School, would anyone in the audience like to show us their galloping or cantering skills?”
We then get a couple of willing participants, showing us their skills in this area. I mean, think of all those people who paid hundreds of pounds for an Oasis ticket – they didn’t get this level of entertainment.
The Roundabout Racehorse tells us about being stuck in a rut and the dream of finding something better, and Shopping is another belter where Elliot Hall shows his delivery style and reminds me in equal parts of a young Damon Albarn and Art Brut’s wonderful frontman, Eddie Argos.
The influence of Parklife era Blur is clear on the bouncy Pampas Grass, an indie dancefloor filler if ever I heard one, with more tales of life in suburbia.
It’s Not Like This In France follows in the same vein. A bass driven stomper with more sharp observations about the dreaded B(rexit) word and how cultural ignorance can be so damaging.
There is clearly great camaraderie and chemistry within this young band, and after entertaining us for 45 minutes or so Welly leave the stage to rapturous applause from the Papillion crowd, who take a minute to draw breath. Their absence is short-lived as they quickly reappear for an encore, joined by all the various members of the two support bands, Lemon Suckr and Slag, some of whom are armed with bubble blowing guns.
Jacob takes over the vocal duties and comes down into the audience again for more mosh pit action, while the filled stage resembles a huge party scene, with bodies and bubbles everywhere.
So I can confirm, everything I’ve heard about Welly rings true. The energetic delivery in their performance coupled with tunes that you’ll have in your head for days guarantees smiles all round. This was a homecoming gig to savour and Elliot, Matt, Jacob, Hanna and Joe deserve all the plaudits they receive.
As mentioned, Lemon Suckr kicked off proceedings with a polished set of danceable tunes, fuelled by a duel guitarists that moved all around the stage while staring straight through the audience, and a charismatic front man. Their sound was somewhere between Franz Ferdinand and Gang Of Four to my ears.
They were followed by Slag, whose angular indie/art pop/rock centred around the strong and sometimes emotionally driven vocals of Amelie. Another young band to watch.
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