Hippo Campus
O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire // London, England // 21 February 2019
Photos by Josien van Oostveen and review by Molly Chen
A line of hundreds stretched around the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire last Thursday, filled with indie enthusiasts as they waited for the venue’s doors to open. Minnesota natives Hippo Campus were spending one of the last days of their Bambi Tour in London, and fans were getting ready for a night of stunning musicality and affecting performance.
Jake Luppen, Nathan Stocker, Whistler Isaiah Allen, Zach Sutton and Decarlo Jackson took the dark stage, welcomed by a sold-out floor of adoring fans as the familiar backing track to ‘Bambi’ played out. Being the lead single and title track from Hippo Campus’s new album, the crowd demonstrated their familiarity by singing along with the band’s quintessential harmonising vocals. Jackson’s skilled trumpet playing wrapped up the number, cutting through the cheering before the group seamlessly transitioned into ‘Golden’, which showcased Luppen’s effortlessly clear vocals.
Maintaining a good balance between old and new tunes, Hippo Campus followed up with fan favourite ‘Way it Goes’, pulled from their debut album. Alongside captivating melodies, Stocker’s guitar skills and the group’s overall playful energy got the audience dancing. Demonstrating the bands’ multi-instrumental talents, Jackson played bass and Sutton jumped on keys during ‘Doubt’, an upbeat but deceivingly emotional highlight from the band’s sophomore album. Stocker took a moment to thank the crowd for coming out before the band transitioned into the chill-inducing ‘Passenger’, filled with the harmonies that – while being characteristic of Hippo Campus – are exceedingly more rewarding in person. They followed up with ‘Warm Glow’ as the crowd clapped along and swayed back and forth, continuing the motion into ‘Monsoon’. Taking turns in the spotlight, Luppen’s clear vocals captivated the audience before he turned everyone’s attention to Stocker, whose unaccompanied guitar left the crowd spellbound.
An air of nostalgia filled the venue in one of the high points of the night as the band led into ‘South’, a favourite from one of their early EPs. ‘You go down south’, sang Stocker before turning his microphone out to the eager crowd, who diligently sang along before he and Luppen jumped back in. A serene moment between ‘Simple Season’ and ‘Why Even Try?’ gave way to Jackson as his trumpet filled the room, followed by alternating strobes and that served as a visual representation of the contrasting calm verses and the jarring confessional bridge in ‘Bubbles’. The set wrapped up with old favourites ‘Suicide Saturday’ and ‘Violet’ as everyone on the floor jumped and chanted the lyrics back at the band, drummer Whistler calling out the final lyrics ‘violet!’.
Hippo Campus left the stage after thanking their audience a final time – a conclusion their fans clearly weren’t ready to accept. After several minutes of the crowd demanding ‘we want more!’ the talented five came back for a final rendition of ‘Buttercup’, a well-received closing song to a high-energy night.
On stage, the members of Hippo Campus are of few words, allowing their complex, layered music to speak for itself. With a combination of the venue’s atmosphere and the band’s genuinely impassioned performance, they were able to play to their full potential and demonstrate how deeply their talents truly run. Overall, the night was a satisfying wind down for the comprehensive tour of their striking sophomore album.
