Gig Report: High Vis / Narrow Head / Whitelands

Date: 21.2.25
Location: Electric Brixton, London
Line-up: High Vis / Narrow Head / Whitelands

Pre-show Munch: Quick stop at Oowee, a vegan burger and chicken sandwich shop in Brixton Market. I got the Big VG, a faux beef burger with garlic mayo, smoked gouda, sweet pickled red onions, and lettuce. It was exactly what you’d expect from vegan fast food: categorically “fine,” bordering on “good, even.”

Merch Table: High Vis is missing out on a massive opportunity to sell branded high vis vests. Would I buy one? No, but someone would. I got a long-sleeved tee for these temperate British springs—£40, pretty standard for tour merch, I’d say.

Whitelands: Whitelands’ debut full-length just dropped at the end of last year, but the shoegaze outfit made enough of an impression to come in at #64 on Rough Trade’s top albums of the year (the band is “at the forefront of the new generation of Black British guitar music.”) They sounded tight live, though they really embrace the shoegaze ethos when it comes to stage presence—or lack thereof. While I hadn’t heard of them (or Narrow Head) before tonight, their debut is likely to make it into my regular listening rotation.

Narrow Head: These Texans have been on the circuit for over a decade, and it shows in their live act—they’re polished and have a ton of charisma. They were giving me major Deftones vibes, vacillating between nu metal, ‘90s grunge, and shoegaze from track to track. The ‘90s/early 2000s influence extends to their logo—I mean, just look at this thing:

If you’re looking for a band that could credibly soundtrack a legacy sequel to Little Nicky, look no further.

High Vis: The reason for the season—I absolutely fell in love with their third record, Guided Tour, which came out last fall. Their mix of hardcore punk and ‘90s British indie is captivating—I think Will Richards at Stereogum put it well when he wrote that they “create their new sonic world with true intentionality and execute it with pinpoint accuracy… for hardcore fans wanting something a little sweet or indie fans wanting some crunch and grit…” I’m both! Their live act definitely leans more on the hardcore side—vocalist Graham Sayle paced around the stage, jumped as high as he could, and threw his arms about aggressively as a mild mosh pit formed in front of him. Every few songs, he took a second to remind us, in his Scouse accent, to look after our mates. We got a treat near the end when High Vis brought out South London native Ell Murphy, the vocalist and producer whose voice is sampled on album standout “Mind’s a Lie,” to sing the outro live.

Pint: Can of Stella Artois aggressively poured into a plastic cup, £6.50. Highway robbery, I’m afraid.

If you want to hear some more High Vis (and Deftones!), I encourage you to listen to the latest edition of my radio show Limewired. It's a music discovery show inspired by the early internet, and the first fifteen minutes or so are dedicated to High Vis and their influences.