Seas of Mirth returned to Nottingham on a tide of hilarity and art, bringing jellyfish, tug-of-war and quirky musicianship to the Rough Trade floor. Here's what went down...
I will now take you back to Saturday, 5th October 2024 at the Old Bus Depot. That night, I was due to do my first review piece for LeftLion. I chose a band called Seas of Mirth, not really expecting much. I initially chose it just to get my name out there to see where things would end up. Little would I know then that that gig would change my perception of Nottingham’s music scene. It was much more than a gig, it was a teleportation to another world, a world where the god is the sea and a funky sound emerges. The sound sent waves across the room, and I was overcome by it all. (Read the review here)
Fast forward 18 months, and I relived an experience as joyous as the first. This time things felt just a little more special. More lights. More jellyfish. More dancing, and the odd tug of war match. The Seas of Mirth crest wave is riding high after all this time since I first rode it.
Tonight wasn’t just a reconnection with one familiar band, but two. The opening support act, Zopp, is an act that I have experienced before. I first came across the project of Notts musician Ryan Stevenson last August at the Waterfront Festival at The Canalhouse. The second dosage of Stevenson was a mash-up of cosmic prog with the avant-garde that generates a textured sound. What’s unavoidable to mention are their peculiar stage costumes. Stevenson is dressed in a full-faced red balaclava, a controversial yet fitting choice as it reflects the mood of the music. Not since James Dean Bradfield’s balaclava stint on Top of the Pops has a choice been so daring.
The rest of Zopp’s rank and file musicians adorn the faces with anthropomorphic masks that resemble a masque ball - a Where the Wild Things Are if you will. Zopp’s musicianship is some of the best I've seen. Prog-rock isn’t the genre reserved for middle class hangers on from the 70s, it’s morphed into something more intricate. The band’s free-flowing improvisation gives an elemental feel to things - a theme will come to later. The compatibility of each musician is more akin to free jazz without the woodwind horn section, each instrument (synth, drums, bass and guitar) synchronizing from one another. This is professional musicianship that Rough Trade needs to showcase more often.
From the gusts of gale-force prog follow the scorching embers of Jazz punk. Mancunian punk jazz trio Ask My Bull have been noted for their wild live performances and this didn’t disappoint either. If you want a raging saxophone through a talkbox and hyperactivity on stage, then you would be foolish not to get down to see them in their element. These guys bridge the gap from wind power to fire power; they channel an inner inferno that is summoned before the Seas of Mirth extinguish the flames. Molly Taylor on Alto Sax stands like Hestia, the Greek goddess of fire commanding her generals beside her to unleash an immortal force. Taylor comes armed with bubble guns and lays hellfire on us all. The scent of artificial bubbles is attractive, and suddenly I’m back amongst the halcyon days of being a child again, cavorting around bubbles waiting for them to pop.
The pop at the end signals the call for the Seas of Mirth to set sail. The band led by Al Judders pull up like trawlers to feed us musical sardines, as one Eric Cantona put it. The fiery reds and oranges of Ask My Bull are replaced with green, blue and purple - the ultimate Seas of Mirth colour palate.
Not before too long are we introduced to the jellyfish mascots; they remain nameless but are just as part of the band as Judders and co. Swathes of people get caught up in the tentacles of ecstasy intensified by the mighty funk rhythms going down. To get caught underneath the tentacles doesn’t bring danger, but pleasure. It is a pleasure that can only be felt by such a band. The two mascots divide the room into two territories, acting like a tug of war between the crowd.
The tug of war match pops its head up again. The rope is trusted to the front of the stage. Rough Trade’s extraordinary width makes this a better venue for tug of war matches than the Old Bus Depot. Sadly, my team lost but well done for trying, eh?
This show was far from a defeat though. Seas of Mirth claim yet another stunning victory in this series of performances. Superflashy Jellyfish. Tug of War. The Seas of Merch. You don’t get that at Seaworld. The tide is high and it's the best time to sail the ship on the Seas of Mirth.
Seas of Mirth performed at Rough Trade on 21st March 2026.
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