Welsh indie rock band The Tubs come to The Smokehouse after the long awaited release of their latest album Cotton Crown. Brighten The Corners’ Faith Hussain reviews.

Friday night saw The Tubs, an indie/ alt rock group, play The Smokehouse with support from Eves Delight, who provided a soft and dreamy start to the night, preluding the darker, more frenetic energy that would soon follow. Eve’s Delight’s ethereal vocals and hazy guitar layers created a whimsical atmosphere that enveloped the room.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Frontman Owen Williams revealed that “most of the songs were written in the midst of a breakdown” following the end of a long-term relationship. That emotional rawness was palpable throughout the set. The tubs may sound melodically crisp, yet beneath the surface lies a turbulent undercurrent revealed upon analysis of William’s lyrics. Brutal lyricism, manic harmonies, and Williams’ unhinged vocals formed a tension between the polished riffs, masking the chaos of mental health struggles beneath deceptive melodies.

Williams also explained in the same interview that the suicide of his mother has influenced his songwriting and formed an explanation for a large part of his breakdown. It was my first time seeing or hearing The Tubs, going into this gig with no preexisting knowledge of their sounds left me unprepared for the emotionally charged intensity of their performance.

Round the Bend stood out as a key example of Williams’ struggle. Its lyrics such as “here I go/ another manic episode” grapple with narcissism, existential dread, and the compulsive distractions of OCD.

“The Tubs’ performance was a powerful exploration of personal turmoil, masterfully disguised with infectious rhythms that their audience were rocking to until set end”

After speaking to Joe Bailey, a long-term fan of the Tubs and head honcho of Brighten the Corners, he remarked, "one of the best things about running music venues is when you're able to put on artists you love or are really excited about”. The Smokehouse has been trying to get The Tubs since the release of their debut album Dead Meat in 2023.

Joe continued, “Finally, the stars aligned to bring them to Ipswich to the sold-out Smokehouse. They played a great set of tight, indie jangle-pop, with each song becoming more of an earworm than the previous one. To hear Sniveller, Two Person Love alongside new classics such as Freak Mode and Chain Reaction was pure joy to my ears. We look forward to bringing them back to Ipswich again”.

Written and edited by Faith Hussain

Cover courtesy of Paste Magaizne

The Tubs @ The Smokehouse

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