She Drew the Gun @ Electric Ballroom Camden

Words: Max Friedrich

As an avid music fan, the opportunity of seeing a show as press felt exciting and new. I knew it would push me to constructively reflect upon what I had experienced, and I was ready to collect dynamic shots and critically observe the performances. I had given the UK ‘psych-pop’ outfit She Drew the Gun a brief listen; frontwoman Louisa Roach’s political frustration filled up my room with a dense red fog. I was moved by what she was saying, be it her spoken word ‘Poem’ that desperately deplores wage slavery, or the explosive ‘Resister’, an anger-fueled call to action – the band had set itself a high bar.

Arriving at the unassuming entrance of the Electric Ballroom after dark, in the centre of the vibrant Camden, the venue seemed to be a correct choice for the activist action that was to go down onstage. We entered effortlessly with the assistance of kind staff, received our passes, and descended into the dense clusterfuck of punk–esque shouting and instrumental overcrowding produced by the first support band, DREAM NAILS. Strongly reminiscent of the legendary Bikini Kill, this fast-paced angry gang set the stage for Louisa Roach to tear up the status quo and blow the sound system. However, the following support act, indie-pop trio Peaness (/ˈpiːnɪs/), was rather coated in sugar. With all three girls smiling for most of their set, it felt to me like they used their sweetness to deliver emotional openness with a lively and seemingly liberating performance. During the half-hour break before the main act, She Drew the Gun’s logo shone brightly above the stage – the band’s name exploding around a clenched magenta fist with long, neon green nails. I was sure the performance would pack a heavy, yet satisfying, punch.

I braced myself for Hurricane Louisa, but most of the performance felt more of a drizzle. Starting strong, the band set off with ‘Resister’, a fast-paced energetic tune that has a catchy synth, prominent guitars and penetrating vocals, in which Roach preaches that you should: “Oppose the flow, or take the role / They’re only asking for your body and soul / And your mind is not your own / Until you comprehend their forms of control.“ Still, by the end of the first song, I already felt that the performance was lacking: a strong message needs an even stronger delivery from an assertive figure. Unfortunately, it felt like the frontwoman had dissociated from the anger and passion of her lyrics.

What followed was a setlist that blurred together more than it stood out, as I received dose after dose of unsurprising pop-rock tunes that only numbed Roach’s lyrical skills. Not even the politically conscious projections (footage from riots branded with the Extinction Rebellion emblem) saved me from gradually losing interest in the performance.

Thankfully, a couple of songs reminded me that I was still at the legendary Electric Ballroom, helping me to regain some hope for the show – mostly through Roach’s compelling lyricism – with the exception of a detour towards guitar-led heavy psych-rock, drowned in layers of effects. It is the moments when the band allows their skills to shine through with full commitment – when the band experiments with guitars or focuses on Roach’s lyrics – that the performance truly becomes a captivating experience. The songs ‘Poem’ and ‘Revolution of Mind’ showcase how the quasi-spoken word passages, where Roach encapsulates all her concerns, display this band in their most convincing and committed form. Ideally, She Drew The Gun should focus on combining this strength with more aggressive tunes that feel like they are determined to ‘stick it to the man’ because Roach certainly didn’t come across as angry.

The audience didn’t feel that engaged in the performance either, as where I expected movement and vigour, I saw a motionless mass. This sentiment might be a lack of my maturity, as the crowd was generally much older than me, but it seemed like there was no fierce emotional response in the entire venue – there was certainly an air of resignation and apathy. Ironically, towards the end of the performance, She Drew the Gun covered the 90s-dance hit ‘Sweet Harmony’, and immediately the crowd responded with much more fervour. I believe that this might be a bit indicative of how others truly felt about the set.

As I was leaving the venue, I overheard a conversation between two middle-aged men, both in 90s rock t-shirts and both clearly stimulated by the performance. I could imagine myself being content with the show had it been for more commitment from the band. Louise Roach is charismatic, a talented lyricist with a powerful voice, but she’s no Rosa Luxembourg. She has a lot to build on and needn’t be afraid of being the passionate frontwoman her message so desperately needs. Still, it fills me with hope to see that there are politically conscious bands and that there are people who are willing to listen to their call to arms.