Embedded Files
HELP US KEEP WATCHING
16th April 2025
Last Wednesday, we found ourselves at Heaven nightclub in London. Contrary to our prior research into Heaven as a venue, this was not for a hyperpop spectacle, or a drag queen power ballad lip-sync. Instead we were there for ‘Porches’, the New York project helmed by Aaron Maine, who brought his latest tour, 'Shirt', to the stage.
Image Credit: Jason Al-Taan
Heaven is one of those malleable spaces that behaves depending on who’s on stage. Given that the venue has recently reopened in 2025 after its operating licence was revoked back in 2024, witnessing its journey to rebirth seemed a bit special. On this particular night, Heaven morphed into a sweaty shrine to ambient, fuzzed-out guitars and clenched-jaw confessions. A far cry from Nobody is Watching’s usual haunt, but we always remain curious.
The night began with the support, MAY, and for a moment, we were lulled into thinking the night might consist of light, shoegazy soundscapes. Yet, when Porches opened with 'Rag', the night descended into a sort of emotional attack - earnest, chaotic, and heavy on the reverb.
In other words, Maine has bulldozed through his old sound. The synth-pop era of his previous projects has clearly been traded in for distortion – creating a noise-rock deluge that resembles the haunting echoes of a dilapidated warehouse.
On stage, though, Porches is all business, with little time for niceties and pleasantries and conversing with the crowd. It’s fair to say that the performance was pretty intense.
Tracks like 'Swarovski', 'Watergetsinside' and 'Lately' thrashed their way into the crowd, blurring the lines between Maine’s older catalogue and the heavier territory he’s now treading. The result? A unified soundscape of past and present which, while impressive in theory, seems, at times, a bit discordant.
That said, there were moments where the murk cleared. 'Lunch', for example, caught us off guard with a playful guitar volley between Maine and Dan English. Then, the heaviness of 'Car' was shortly followed by 'Country' – a sweet and slow melodic reprieve.
Undoubtedly, the crowd loved it, and there were moments of brilliance throughout. But, for us, Porches live felt like being held under just that little bit too long. Maine is undoubtedly talented, and live performance does afford his vocals a feral kind of gravity, particularly in the new formation of his style. But as we spilled out onto Villiers Street and breathed in the cleaner air (if you can even say that in London), we found ourselves longing for a bit more of the lightness that the gig opened with.
Still, there's something to be said for a show that leaves your ears ringing and your brain a bit frazzled and, surely, that’s part of the beauty of musical escapism. Porches didn’t play it safe and, in a cultural moment where so much live music is polished to the point of sterility, maybe that's something to appreciate.
Google Sites
Report abuse