Live review: Overpass take Electric Studios to the 'right time' with Steel City swagger

You seriously can’t deny the caustic visual storytelling at hand with tonight’s showing.

Within a refurbished iconic Sheffield venue and a dynamically charged band on an unprecedented upsurge, the next wave of indie youth marshalled in their masses to bear witness to Birmingham’s finest within a venue that in a past life was associated with guitar-driven melodies.

Opening the evening of events was the angsty Matt Felix, who arrived with a moody, Sombr-esque sway before locking into a tight, remarkably punchy opening performance that caught the early risers off guard.

He was swiftly followed by The North, who pool in the exact same anthemic indie-rock genre as the night’s headliners.

Trading in a massive wall of anthemic guitars throughout their outstretched set, their frontman delivered Yungblud-akin vocals with a ferocious, snarl-and-strut energy.

It didn’t go unnoticed either, as a sizable chunk of the crowd clearly knew the band in advance, trading back lyrics line for line and turning a support slot into a genuine moment prior to the main event.

Rolling into their set almost immediately, the Birmingham four of Overpass launched into the irresistibly catchy riffs of Union Station, setting their night into an unstoppable motion of melodies and singalongs from the instant the first riff was plucked.

Next up, they unleashed Sandman, a track built around a gritty, driving bass rhythm that kept the momentum surging forward while proving their low-end section is every bit as formidable as their pleasant-sounding hooks.

Without missing a single beat, they dove into I Will, a charming slice of infectious indie pop brimming with sharp, jangly guitar lines that cut cleanly through the venue's crisp, brand-spanking-new PA system.

Slow proved to be anything but its title, pulling the room into a hypnotic, mid-tempo groove anchored by soaring vocal lines and a subtle, simmering intensity that had heads topped by mullets and dyed bangs nodding in ceremonious unison.

The night’s blustering tempo spiked once again with Like No Other, a shimmering, high-energy cut that had the front rows immediately locked into a synchronised bounce from the very first chord struck.

Refusing to let the rising temperature drop, the Brum-four kept the heated pressure on with Stay Up, unleashing thumping basslines and raw stage energy that pushed the crowd’s enthusiasm up to another notch, which saw the first signs of sweated band tees and the raising of the fans onto shoulders.

Be Good to Yourself delivered intricate arrangements that built up into a massive singalong chorus, leaving the exposed support beams of Electric Studios visibly reverberating from the impact of this song’s anthemic accrual lyricisms.

They pulled back the compelling throttle briefly for Forever, You, a sweeping, atmospheric slice of dreamy guitar pop drenched in rainy reverb that allowed the band to show off their structural and courageous songwriting maturity.

A wild dynamic shift arrived with their American Girls/Born Slippy mashup, a sensational set of covers rolled into one compact effort. It’s an amalgamation that ultimately allows the Midland musicians to redefine the timeless tracks and truly make them their own; here’s to hoping they release a recording of it onto streaming platforms someday.

Shifting back into a higher indie-rock gear again, they charged onwards and upwards with Right Time, a kinetic burst of pure indie urgency akin to that noughties garage rock sound that felt tailor-made for sweaty, intimately packed-out rooms.

Heaven followed, gloriously melodramatic and soaring high on dynamic, post-punk-inspired guitar swells paired with Max Newy's most passionate vocal delivery of the night, as he strained each verse into the cemented microphone.

Their main set closed out flawlessly with Bonnie & Clyde Pt. 2, which saw frontman Max Newy take to the stage alone to perform an evocative, stripped-back solo performance.

Returning for the encore, they unleashed the emphatic, larger-than-life track Beautiful. It’s such a nostalgic-sounding anthem, tugging on that same emotional string as tracks like Favourite by Fontaines D.C. and Someday by The Strokes, as you can easily envision a track such as this being played out in stadiums across the nation.

They managed to keep the energy high with 3AM, a classically sounding indie-rock anthem that draws upon the likes of thumping festival favourites such as My Honest Face by Inhaler and Dakota by Stereophonics, creating a sonically charged unification of the two resulting in indie’s sleekest lovechild.

Then came Fall in Love, a wonderfully heart-wrenching track steeped in candid emotion that drew authentic tears from crowd members at the very front. Unfortunately, there was no surprise Nieve Ella guest appearance tonight, but those lucky enough would catch her performing the track at the next show of the tour, which was, in fact, Overpass’s homecoming show, so we’ll let them off!

Not to be confused with the track of the same name by The Strokes, Take It or Leave It, much like its New York counterpart, was very much a thrashing of guitars and lashing lead vocals that combined into an abrasive clash of hooks and riffs, contributing to a certified earworm of an indie hit to the head.

Closing out their performance in classic indie-rocker style, the Steel City were treated to a surreal rendition of Is This Real?. The track was an undeniably perfect closer to a night of untamed energy led by arguably the next generation of indie royalty.

As the house lights kicked up over Electric Studios, you couldn't help but appreciate the symmetry of it all. Indie music’s latest revolution isn’t just breathing fresh life into the charts; it’s being built on brand-new ground, quite literally, with nights like this proving that guitar culture is structurally sounder, louder, and more vital than ever.

This stellar showing felt like a venue exceeding its past and upscaling it to a new audience, as an undeniable prescribed treatment of infectious guitar music saw the venue and the band stake its modernistic claim within a city known for the indie-rock genre, all the while doing so while still smelling fresh of wet paint and high-voltage optimism.