Credit: Cassia
Writer
The Cassia lads give fans a dazzling dose of summertime bliss at their SWG3 show.
With SWG3 being a smaller and more intimate venue, this was the perfect space for Cassia to do their thing. Combining indie-pop sensibilities and folk vibes with allusions to bands like The Vaccines, Cassia have been staples on the British music circuit since their formation back in 2016. Although the venue wasn’t anywhere near full capacity, the band were able to fill the space and create an audible buzz within the small crowd. Similarly, by filling spaces between song changes with great drum riffs (courtesy of Jacob Leff), they provided an exhilarating change and kept the crowd on their toes.
In addition to this, the use of lighting perfectly paralleled the songs played by the band. During their hit Replica, yellow light streamed down onto the crowd as the lyrics “gold sunshine” were repeated, feeling like a summers day with a kick. As Lou himself explained in an interview back in 2018 with CLASH, “Our music comes from a want for a constant summer, it’s an escape mechanism”. This perfectly sums up the vibe the boys are going for, both through their catchy songs and energetic gigs. I found myself constantly smiling throughout the set, bopping along to their bouncy beats and almost tropical tunes.
A mention must also go to lead vocalist Rob Ellis, who delivered a note-perfect performance. We’ve all had an experience where you go to a gig and the band sound completely different to their records; whether that be down to overuse of autotune or just bad equipment. Rob however (and the backing vocals of both Lou and Jacob) did not disappoint. I think it’s fair to say that the whole crowd were displaced from rainy, six-degree Glasgow and thrown back to sunny picnic days. The guys also seemed to genuinely enjoy the gig, coming out afterwards to the merchandise stand to meet fans.
Honestly, having gone into the gig not too familiar with the band, I’ve found it hard to get their songs out of my head since. Make sure you’re listening to Cassia – they’re riding the next wave and bringing those summertime vibes with them!
