PARLOURS have followed up their inaugural gig at FC2 with a more intimate performance at a packed Pyramid basement – and they blew the roof off the place.

The Warrington Indie rock band have burst onto the local music scene, with their first single ‘Hacienda’ showing far more maturity and ability than would normally be warranted from a small band releasing their first song.

Released the day of the gig, their follow-up tune ‘Make Up Your Mind’ shares the same electric energy and catchy riffs as ‘Hacienda’ – with exceptional lyricism and production.

As the crowd waited for the band to come out – chants of ‘Up the Parlours’ rang out, the rallying cry of a band on the up.

Warrington Guardian: Singer Tom Gaskell performing at PyramidSinger Tom Gaskell performing at Pyramid (Image: Parlours)

Beyond just the similar chant the two share, the performance was markedly reminiscent of Rotherham band The Reytons, who appeared at Neighbourhood Weekender last year.

The feel of an underground band inextricably linked to their local community is hard to beat – and is something shared by the two.

Another shared similarity is the band's command of the crowd. Whether at packed-out arenas or gigs such as this attended by just under 100 people, this is a trait that translates, and one Parlours demonstrated in spades.

The intensity of the performance was obvious from drummer Joe Dursley – tearing off his T-shirt after song number two of the gig. Some may have called this a tad premature, but Joe can be let off this once for his brilliant performance throughout.

Warrington Guardian: Joe can be spotted sans-shirt in the backJoe can be spotted sans-shirt in the back (Image: Parlours)

The band is made up of a group of university friends from the same area, with three members being from Warrington and two from Runcorn.

Part of my excursion to see Parlours was to try and place what potential they have as a band. Many indie bands will release brilliant first singles and then not have a deeper catalogue to back that up.

From about 10 minutes into the gig, it was clear – that is not a problem for Parlours. Multiple as-of-yet-unreleased songs were played, showcasing the fact that the band easily have enough material to fill a brilliant EP.

Warrington Guardian: The band backstageThe band backstage (Image: The band backstage)

With hit after hit, the anticipation grew for the band’s performance of ‘Hacienda’ – and it did not disappoint.

Even better than their exceptional studio release, the performance was electric and had a small crowd feeling like there were 100s in the room.

Whilst all their songs had the feel of one you could easily picture being played in a massive venue – Hacienda was the most emblematic of this.

As quickly as it started it felt like, the gig was over, and one thing was made clear.

Parlours is ready for the big time, and they have established themselves as one of the most promising young bands in the north.