‘This song is for you, Tom’: Esmeralda Road Live at Oporto

Belfast band Esmeralda Road have been the talk of the Leeds indie scene for a while now. Joining the many exciting Irish bands breaking out into the indie rock scene, the five-piece have a sound that stands out. There’s a funky, jazzy feel to their rock that makes their music so more-ish, it’s music to feel in the soul. Oporto’s simple backlit stage and tiny capacity of 120 made this gig really exciting, it doesn’t feel like Esmeralda Road will be playing spaces this close and personal for much longer. The venue is so intimate that the band literally pushed past me and through the crowd to get to the stage in the corner. Settled towards the back near the bar, Guinness in hand, the anticipation was high. Safe to say, they did not disappoint.

The band only have 7 songs out on Spotify yet easily managed to fill out their 45-minute set. Opening with two crowd pleasers ‘7 Tune’ and ‘Park It’, the lead vocalist had the stage presence of a heavy metal singer – lots of head shaking and slightly punky dance moves. Their sound translates much more rock live compared to the studio versions – the drums and guitar go right through you without losing any of those heartfelt vocals. There was a real electric energy coming from the crowd, you could easily tell how excited people had been for this gig. Looking around, I could tell everyone knew every word which made the venue feel a lot bigger than it actually was, it somehow felt like the songs had been around for years. Esmeralda Road are definitely one to look out for, the fans are committed and the sound is huge. Naturally there was a lot of unreleased in the set, fans should keep their ears peeled for ‘Bleak’, a tune that starts out with a slow electric guitar melody and builds into some huge guitar and drum moments. This one especially is slower and more raw than their other stuff, with some cool discordant guitar which does in fact make it feel slightly bleak. Their sound reminds me of Gurriers or Shame, if that’s your vibe, Esmeralda Road are one to watch.

My two personal favourites were slap bang in the middle of the set. A lucky man in the crowd called Tom was asked his name, told ‘this song is for you, Tom’ before the lively opening lines of ‘I Think’ boomed out. Lead singer Charlie Magill jumped into the crowd, chord microphone and all, for this one. The crowd opened up around him which was no mean feat in the packed-out room and were singing right back at him. The opening ‘Oh baby spin me like a 45’ sent a buzz through the room and what followed was one of the most impressive vocal performances of the night. There was no time to catch my breath before ‘To U’ with its lovely jazzy melody broke out, saxophone and all. You really couldn’t help but have a boogie for this one and the crowd didn’t disappoint at all, at times I could barely see for all the hands in the air. A few more rock heavy unreleased tracks and the set was nearly over, the unmistakable hit single ‘Esmeralda’ ended the show. This was a perfect sign off for the set, my only complaint being I want more! Obviously as a breakout band, material is the limiting factor when it comes to set times, but it felt like myself and everyone else could’ve stuck around for a lot longer. The band’s stage presence was so addicting, 45 minutes disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Esmeralda Road translate amazingly live, I feel lucky to have seen such a powerhouse act in such a tiny venue. If you’re looking for some real dancey indie, these are your guys. They’re definitely a band to watch out for, if you can catch them
live I’d absolutely recommend.

Words by Grace Harris.