Searows - Bristol Trinity Centre 2 April 2026

Arriving to an already packed-out room at Bristol's Trinity Centre, I slipped inside just in time for the evening’s support. Always one for getting in early, Portland singer-songwriter Amos Heart only reinforced that instinct. His endearing sound and enchanting melodies carried effortlessly through the venue, building rich, layered guitar loops while his emotionally worn vocals cut clean through the stillness. It didn’t take long to win people over with more and more phones slowly raised to capture the moment. Rarely does a support slot hold a crowd this closely, but here the room stayed near-silent between songs, breaking only for applause. A perfect opener, gently drawing people in without overplaying its hand.

Amos Heart - Bristol Trinity Centre 2 April 2026

After a short pause, Searows took to the stage with something ambitious in mind. A low synth rolled through the room as the lights dropped, building tension. Sadly just as the moment began to form, technical issues brought it all to a halt. The band let the moment breathe, breaking character to joke with the crowd before resetting as the sound tech rushed to fix the broken XLR. It was a reminder of what live music really is - unfiltered, unpredictable, and all the better for it.

Unphased, Alec Duckart pretended to walk off and start again, replaying the entrance before easing back into the set. From there, the focus shifted fully to the music. Belly of the Whale set things in motion, the opening track from his recent album Death in the Business of Whaling, before Photograph of a Cyclone unfolded with a patient pull, drawing the room further in. Dearly Missed, a personal highlight, followed with a quiet precision that held the audience completely still.

There’s a clear sense of control to the way Searows performs. Nothing feels overplayed, and that restraint works in their favour, especially in a venue like this. Between songs, the silence was striking - the kind where even the smallest sound carried - a sign of the respect held in the room. That feeling was mutual, with Duckart repeatedly showed adoration to the crowd. "Thank you for coming" he exclaimed. "No, Thank you for coming" a fan joked, as the tension eased. 

After a brief exit, the inevitable calls for an encore brought them back for a final pair of songs to close out the evening. It was a fitting end to a set that thrived on intimacy, even within a packed out room. 

Bringing the new record to life with clarity and care, Searows delivered something quietly powerful - the kind of performance that lingers, long after the lights come back up.

*****