Live Review: Sundara Karma - O2 Kentish Town Forum, London 08/12/2024
Sundara Karma closed the book on their indie pop journey with their final ever show at Kentish Town Forum on Sunday night.
Oscar, Haydn, Ally and Dom shared their finale with their appreciative fans, waving goodbye to a decade on the scene by splitting the set between their three studio albums.
Falkirk’s Brògeal – keen to get the rammed bill started – began early. The five-piece’s set including tunes like ‘Girl from NYC’ and ‘Sunday Morning’ was well-received by the early birds. The latter saw frontman Daniel Harkins sit on the lip of the stage, and briefly join those on the barrier. The show featured a wild cacophony of instruments, creating something that sounds like they have been jettisoned from another age. It ended with a clap-along and a tin whistle for their cover of ‘Lonesome Boatman’, which sounded like a Western movie ending in a fun and frantic shootout.
Four-piece overpass, “all the way from Birmingham”, hit the stage with opener ‘Alright’, which encouraged more clapping in time from the crowd, before playing the uplifting ‘Be Good to Yourself’, a previous WTHB favourite. Frontman Max and bandmates India, Elliot and Jake raced through unreleased tracks ‘Slow’ and ‘Stay Up’ which showed two different sides of the band, whilst retaining their anthemic sound. ‘Take It or Leave It’ was a more chaotic moment, before drummer Jake busted the drum kit during ‘3AM’. After plugging their Scala show next year, and playing an unexpected little jam while sourcing a new drum part, and they ended on ‘Beautiful’, which was also previously hailed by this site for its catchy chorus. Citing Brummie bands Editors and Peace on their own website, they won’t escape inevitable Inhaler comparisons, but it is an accurate assessment of their potential and ambition.
Sundara Karma’s fourth and final stop on their farewell tour started with the sound of East 17. ‘Stay Another Day’ never felt so poignant.
Not that there was much wallowing in despair. The four-piece kicked off in usual fashion, opener ‘A Young Understanding’ sending beer into the air from the start, before the post-punk sound of ‘Baby Blue’, one of many times the band’s influences show themselves.
During ‘Baby Blue’, frontman Oscar came to the front of the stage – cue the screams. “How we feeling tonight?” he asked before ‘Loveblood’, the second of six cuts from 2017’s debut album ‘Youth is Only Ever Fun in Retrospect’, before racing into the Bowie-esque ‘Little Smart Houses’, one of five tracks on the night from their sophomore ‘Ulfilas’ Alphabet’.
Oscar ditched the guitar for ‘Miss Again’, coming to the crowd, causing mayhem, only to rejoin the stage like nothing happened. There’s the sound reminiscent of Bloc Party when he sings “I’ll jump over the edge, then there will be nothing left, not even a dying breath, ‘cause this wears me out”, while next song ‘Higher States’ has a vibe very similar to Editors. While those bands mark 20 years, Sundara Karma didn’t make it that far, but it’s not for want for trying. They look to be at their peak, rather than fading away with a cliched whimper.
The frontman had his guitar back when he introduced their next track. “London, who was here with us in 2017? Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for staying with us for all those years. This one is for all of you.” It’s ‘Olympia’, a first album song which instils significant glee in the audience, while the stage is bathed in the bluest light.
Sundara Karma’s third and final album was last year’s ‘Better Luck Next Time’. “Who’s heard that one?” Oscar asked, before starting up ‘Friends of Mine’. The band’s simplicity – there’s no backdrop, and a small drum riser – works in their favour, as they seamlessly transition into the title track of 2020 EP ‘Kill Me’ - stage bathed in red, with white spotlights raining down on the band. The simple set-up allows the complexity of lyrics and theme to come to the fore.
“I just want to reiterate this is the last time we will ever play this song. The last time.” Cue cries of despair from the audience. “We mostly mean that, until 2028 maybe once we all come back,” Oscar joked, urging the crowd not to hold back – “You’re here for this song anyway”. The track in question is ‘She Said’, an early favourite from the band, which is rightly taken over by the fans. This moment is about them, not the four members on stage. It is one of the highlights of the show, quickly followed up by “a very old song” ‘Indigo Puff’, one of the band’s earliest singles. In their farewell announcement, they said they would “step away from making music as Sundara Karma”, but I’m intrigued by what comes next. Dom’s bass is groovy one last time, Haydn’s drums remain slick, and Ally’s guitar is on point. There’s some real potential whatever they transition into – and that’s before considering Oscar’s magnetism.
Not that he hogs the credit, making a point to introduce each member individually throughout the show. “We’ve known each other since we were eight years old. Can you believe that? Eight years old. Eight. A long, long time. We’re 29 now, that’s fucking ages. We’ve been a band since we were 12 years old. These guys are my best mates in the entire world. I don’t think you understand what it means to be on stage with these guys. And for you all to be here, we’re very, very lucky. Thank you.” This is Oscar’s speech leading into ‘Sounds Good To Me’, which has an emo feel to it, before the show comes to a close with ‘One Last Night On This Earth’. It sees Sundara Karma channel their inner The Cure, before waving goodbye and leaving the stage.
Naturally, there’s an encore, opened with Oscar’s plea to free them from the last of their merch, before starting up ‘Explore’ from their debut album. Then, “for the last time”, ‘Flame’, the closest thing Sundara Karma has ever had to a calling card. It’s an ideal send-off. “Hold my flame and set alight, hold my fire screaming inside out.” The punctuated pause between each word feels more important this time, on stage, and in the audience, Oscar sans guitar one final time to join the jubilant crowd, as the band play on lit up, aptly, in red. Then they set off the confetti cannons, and while they feel almost jarring for Sundara Karma, who are usually much more subtle, it is well earned, and a perfect cap on the celebration.
Oscar rejoined the band on stage for one last bow before departure, to the sound of Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’. From schoolkids to almost 30 years of age, it marks one final unforgettable moment with Sundara Karma – a band who were never a big act, but they were very real.
‘Miss Again’ begins: “Now that the fun is over, it’s like I hardly know her. I think I’m far too sober to be dealing with closure.” But the fans will drink to Oscar, Haydn, Ally and Dom forevermore.
For those who find the Karma in the future, this was a moment, and it was Sundara – it was beautiful.
Words by Samuel Draper
Photography by James Baker
