Citizen
Moth Club // London, England // 27 April 2019
Photos and review by Rachael Dowd
London fans were treated to a special one-off performance from Citizen last week at the legendary Moth Club. Scheduling the show just before they jetted back to the states after playing a few festivals in Europe, Citizen fans flocked to the venue for the sold-out show knowing it was going to be one to remember.
Packed from the front of the stage to the back of the bar, Citizen delivered a hefty thirteen song set list that covered their entire discography. Opening up the night with “Jet” and “In The Middle of It All,” both off of 2017’s As You Please, vocalist Mat Kerekes revealed that they always have a great time performing in London and knew they had to book a show in the city before returning across the pond for their upcoming run with Knuckle Puck.
Citizen also included a number of songs off of 2013’s Youth which received the biggest reaction from those in the room. The performance of “Sleep” ignited something in the crowd as crowd surfers emerged from the sea of people and Kerekes held his microphone out for most of the song for the fans to sing the words back to him.
The band also treated those in attendance with a rare performance of “Drown,” off of 2011’s Young States which caused a frenzy in the entire venue. Hardly ever playing material off of that album, fans that have followed the band since the release of their debut album made themselves known, screaming the words passionately as they stood on booths and knocked down lighting equipment from the ceiling as they crowd surfed. The performance not only showcased how Citizen’s sound has evolved over the years, but also showed just how impactful their music has been in the UK after all this time.
Following “Drown” was “The Night I Drove Alone,” a song that is a highlight for many Citizen fans whenever they catch the band live. As soon as Kerekes sang the opening words, the crowd completely overpowered him with their voices, a wave of energy breaking out in the room as soon as the guitars and percussion kicked in. Running just over two minutes long, the short and sweet tune has become a staple in Citizen’s set and is one that fans exert the most amount of energy during, the performance that night being no exception.
Closing out the intimate show with “Roam The Room,” Kerekes announced that following their tour in the states, they will be going off the grid for a while, hinting that they will be working on their next release for the rest of the year.
As a band that has been doing a lot of support slots and co-headlining tours over the past few years, an opportunity to see Citizen headline an intimate venue like Moth Club is not one to pass up. With passionate fans overpowering much of the set, the entire night felt like a group effort between the audience and the band onstage. The performance was wildly entertaining, incredibly authentic and, above all, it reminded all of us in the room as to why we fell in love with the Midwest band in the first place.
