PVA Will Have You Glued To The Dancefloor
Image credit: Janis Law
Touring their second record, No More Like This (2026), PVA unleash a precision that feels both intimate and ferocious.
Illuminated in red, the stage at Headrow House is the belly of a volcano. Dry ice machines bubble into action, and out of the haze appear three shapes, materialising into the forms of Josh Baxter, Ella Harris, and Louis Satchell. The London trio waste no time on introductions; instead, pulsating synths and subdued vocals immediately cover the audience like thick lava. The ambient opener of the set, and of their latest album No More Like This (2026), ‘Rain’ oozes with a moody, seductive restraint.
This hauntingly gentle start to the show captivates the entire crowd (an eclectic gaggle of 6Music dads, alternative couples in their thirties, and fellow students that I recognise from the gig scene). All of us are hooked on the surging tension as the band gracefully manoeuvres through beautiful songs off their newest release. Then: volcanic eruption. The frenzied height of ‘Send’ is an abrasive steel-edged convulsion that makes you want to book the next flight to Berlin and indulge in a hedonistic weekend of techno. The band treat us to a few old favourites: a glitchy reimagining of ‘Untethered’ and the relentlessly propulsive ‘Hero Man’ command everyone in the room to dance.
With the success of their debut record Blush, one of my favourite albums of 2022, PVA established themselves as a bold electronica act drawing on post-punk and dance music to craft anthems that are industrial yet bodily. You can almost smell the sweat of the dancefloor just by listening to the record. By contrast, No More Like This simmers with understated, sophisticated production that is markedly lower in energy than Blush, and I was unsure how this would translate onstage. But my apprehension was entirely unnecessary: PVA’s performance hangs on an impossibly thin wire between orchestrated control and frenetic explosion. Every detail is placed precisely where it needs to be and yet there is still room for a kind of physical slackening – hips, shoulders, and synth lines all slipping into glorious disorder. The show is a thrilling reminder that PVA’s music rewards the dancefloor and headphone listening in different but equally satisfying ways.
After the gig, the group man the merch stand. PVA is proudly independent, and with full creative control, they can build entire sonic worlds without compromise. PVA move at the speed of inspiration, not the speed of permission, showcasing the benefits of a do-it-yourself attitude – PVA do-it-brilliantly.
Words by Ruby Smith, images by Janis Law.