Offie Mag

So, what are Sundays for? If you’re on Hinge, you’d assume either bed-rotting, or F1 and a roast. But on this sunny-ish Sunday, Bricky and I fancied a very long lunch. That lunch was hijacked by Kieran from Dotwavnotwave, en route to work at Rough Trade just off Brick Lane. He mentioned there was a gig on, and — as always — we were game.

The day hadn’t started so smoothly. My phone decided it no longer fancied charging, leaving me freed from the shackles of instant communication. Refreshing in theory, but mildly stressful when you’ve got to meet someone in central London. Then, just to complete the chaos, my card decided it no longer wanted to be contactless — something I discovered, embarrassingly, while trying to tap into the Tube.

Forced to buy a paper ticket at twice the price (thank you TFL and Sadiq Khan), I could’ve cracked. But I was in the mood for dumplings — and nothing was going to stop me. Twelve dumplings, a bowl of hand-pulled noodles, a plate of cheong fun, and two pints later, we were ready for dessert. That dessert came in the form of Jadu Heart, live at Rough Trade.

Entry came with a copy of their latest record, POST HEAVEN, and the band were sticking around for signings afterwards. They’d just returned from a 21-date US tour supporting Fontaines D.C.

We went in blind, which is always fun — there’s a certain thrill in not knowing what you’re about to experience. While playing a few rounds of cambio, we chatted with some punters from Rotterdam who tried to describe the band’s sound. They sang their praises but surprisingly they weren’t even close to doing them justice.

Jadu Heart draw from shoegaze to breakbeat, layering in heavy synths, pristine vocals, and intricate sound design. Band members were switching instruments mid-song, and the performance had me completely engaged. The sound in the venue was actually brilliant — the first time I've thought this for a while — and the crowd clearly loved them, proven by the sizeable queue for signings afterwards.

This might’ve been the first gig I’ve ever attended without a phone, and I certainly felt more present and enjoyed the moment for what it was, four musicians playing really good music.

As spontaneous plans go, this one delivered. And just when I thought the day couldn’t get better, we were upsold on Khadija Al Hanafi’s Slime Patrol — only 400 copies ever pressed — and I couldn’t have been more chuffed.

Good food, good music, good people. Do Sunday’s really get any better than that?