In celebration of their defiant record Cosplay, released late in 2025, Sorry hit Nottingham's Rescue Rooms as part of their tour. They proved distinctive and compelling in their own right...
Emerging from Brixton's Windmill scene, alongside the likes of Shame and Black Midi, Sorry have gone on to draw together a sound rich in both identity and influence. Merging the supple touches of grunge, edgy trap and shoegaze scrapings, Sorry have captivated audiences ever since their fateful journey began with their debut studio record 925, six years ago.
Incorporating a disillusioned state of insincere copycats in a world imploring on new ideas to flourish, Sorry's third record, Cosplay, is a continuation of that same warped rock intonation we heard pre-pandemic - with enough pop-culture references to shake a stick at. Marking a turning point for a band so caught up in London's buzzy young post-punk scene, it sees the band hit the road on their own with the full force of the UK's live circuit commending them all the way.
The evening began with HANK, another post-punk project hailing from North London who were a fitting preface to the main act. With an entourage of heavy chords swamped in that sullen swampy sound that we've all come to grow and appreciate, the oddly uncomfortable Pull It Off and airy Angel Says were the groups' immediate stand-outs.
Sorry, themselves? Safe to say they made a lasting impression.
Singer and guitarist Asha Lorenz gave her welcome to the mic, wrapped in sweats and puffer jacket, she turned and gave the nod to schoolmate, best friend and songwriting companion Louis O'Bryen, who was also decked in Y'2 leather and retro sunnies.
A reflection of their journey, they started proceedings with post-punk starlet of Right Around the Clock, the tetchy lead from their debut, before flash-forwarding to the present. Jetplane - using Guided By Voices' Hot Freaks sample - is an intense smother of rampant bass and dissonant vocals, while Today Might Be The Hit, is a play of optimism amongst anxious instrumentals for fear of failure.
New works Alone in Cologne and Billy Elliott also got their own spins, while fan favourite There's So Many People That Want to be Loved saw a reprised live rendition of an extensive finale of pure unadulterated noise.
You'd think a broken bass string would put a spanner (string) in the works but if anything, it spurred the band along, often playing faster, merging medleys - ultimately committed to the bit. The band ended up playing 20 of their best songs in the catalogue with Waxwing undoubtedly receiving the majority of the rapturous applause, a compelling anthem of the bands' songwriting at its best, spearheaded by Lorenz's vocal deliverance which was on fine display here.
With a delightful splurge of sound, light and intense theatrics, Sorry played their role to perfection. In what was an evening's homage to the capital's most exciting up-and-comers in the underground post-punk circuits, Sorry are going right to the top of my list.
Sorry performed at Rescue Rooms on 23rd February 2026.
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