NOVACUB Live In Newcastle - Review

by Michael Hamflett
NOVACUB Newcastle
WhatCulture

With “Lifetime”, the band have a hook and chorus that deserves to be heard against the backdrop of festival starlight. Late, last, loud. This, pitched to the crowd on the same stage as the call-to-arms “We Don’t Care” - in which Bartle’s use of a megaphone propels some brilliant biliousness into the rarified air occupied by Karen O et al - escalates the early promise and nascent beauty of their overall offering.

“I Still Need It” and “Wait Up” shed light on already-thrown shade in the lyrics and generate additional buzz live thanks to their presence on all the usual streaming services in 2019, but the band bravely elect not to rely on either to end their set.

In “Strike”, NOVACUB may have happened upon a show-closer for the ages - but perhaps this barely scratched the surface of their bombastic potential. There are musical oaks awaiting to sprout from these ace acorns - a tour on their own terms (hopefully in support of an EP or debut album) surely beckons to deliver on such dynamic delivery.

(NOVACUB were supporting Kaiser Chiefs on the final rearranged dates of their 2019 UK tour. Information on future live dates/releases can be found on their Instagram, on Twitter at @novacubmusic and at WeAreNOVACUB.com. Louise Bartle and Russell Lissack resume playing Bloc Party this summer - all dates and information for those shows can be found at BlocParty.com)

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Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett