Live Review: Big Special, Gans & Good Health Good Wealth – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
14/02/2026
Big Special | Rescue Rooms – Nottingham | Photo by: Faye Stacey – View From The Pit
Every now and then you get a lineup that just screams get yourself there and this was exactly that! Big Special, Gans and Good Health Good Wealth, three duos with three completely different sounds. We had no prior live experience of any of them either which made it even better, no expectations, no pre-judgement, just walking in blind and seeing what happens.
Even getting in felt like part of it, wandering about outside Rescue Rooms like a pair of lost tourists, we clock a group heading in and think “yeah, they look like they are going to the gig.” Of course they are, it turns out one of them is Joe Hicklin from Big Special! Quick hello, bit of a laugh and straight away there’s that feeling that this isn’t just another gig, it’s going to be one of those nights where everything just clicks.
Inside, it’s already got that buzz about it, people actually up for it rather than just waiting around for a headline set. There’s movement, there’s noise, there’s that low-level hum that builds before something kicks off. You can tell early this isn’t going to be a passive crowd.
The Indie Masterplan x View From The Pit x The Red Line | Rescue Rooms – Nottingham | Photo by: Nikki Wilson
We bumped into our friend Faye Stacey who we met last year at Y Not Festival, Faye very kindly let us use some of her photos in our review of the festival, again Faye from View From The Pit said that we can use her photos here too. Thank you x.
There was no way that we weren’t heading in early for Good Health Good Wealth and that ended up being one of the best decisions of the night. On paper they looked like the outsiders, where Big Special and Gans lean into grit and their spoken word having heavier edges, GHGW come at it with groove, melody and a bit of Southern swagger.
Good Health Good Wealth | Rescue Rooms – Nottingham | Photo by: Faye Stacey – View From The Pit
They didn’t burst out the gates, they eased us in with ‘Guinness‘ setting the tone nicely, a bit darker and moodier than you might expect, this gives the room a chance to settle into their sound. It didn’t take long before you realise they’ve got control of it, Bruce Breakey’s voice is the first thing that really grabs you, there’s something effortless about it, like he’s not trying too hard but still landing every line exactly where it needs to be.
There’s a looseness to them as well, in a good way, the sling on Breakey’s arm which was due to a broken collar bone from a fall down his friend’s stairs, he jokingly said he’s not trying to be Keith Lemon. The casual chat between songs and the smiles from the pair added to it.
Meanwhile Simon Kuzmickas is basically the engine room, flipping between guitar, electronics and just radiating pure energy. On a stage like that a duo could easily look lost on but instead it feels full, almost like a full band could be on there.
‘Moonlight‘ is where the set properly lifts, the groove clicks, the hooks land and you can see people start to lock in, not a mosh pit kind of reaction, more that collective nodding, people properly listening while still moving. ‘The Café‘ keeps that going but it’s ‘Beautiful Boy‘ that really showed what they’re about, this moment had the audience in silence and stood in awe.
They close with ‘Full Circle‘ and it feels like they’ve done exactly what an opening band should do, warm the place up without being overshadowed leaving people wanting more.
The Indie Masterplan x Good Health Good Wealth | Rescue Rooms | Nottingham | Photo by Nikki Wilson
After the set we headed to the merch stand for a quick chat, this just confirmed what sound lads they are, there was no egos it was just pure appreciation that we enjoyed it. We were fans anyway but now we are obsessed.
Gans | Rescue Rooms – Nottingham | Photo by Faye Stacey – View From The Pit
That chat costs us though, walking back in for Gans it was chaos, the place was absolutely rammed! Not busy, not lively but properly packed. We were stuck near the back, half watching, half guessing what’s going on but even from there, you can feel the difference in energy straight away.
Where GHGW had that groove and flow, Gans hit like a wall, It was louder, more aggressive, more like an assault but in a good way. There’s less breathing space in it, it’s just constant. The kind of set where even if you’re not in the thick of it, you can feel the push and pull of the crowd.
From what we could see, it’s tight as anything, no sloppiness, no wasted moments, it’s all controlled chaos, the kind where it looks like it could fall apart at any second but never actually does. That’s probably the most frustrating part of being so far back, you can tell it’s class but you’re not fully in it.
The Indie Masterplan x Big Special | Rescue Rooms – Nottingham | Photo by: Marc Whiffen
We headed up to the balcony for a better view, that is rammed as well, which says everything about where they’re at right now, they’re pulling people in and quickly. Whilst up there though, we were lucky enough to bump into Big Special‘s Callum Maloney.
No chance we were making that mistake again for Big Special, when people were taking a quick breather we took our opportunity to get straight in, decent spot, we were ready.
Big Special | Rescue Rooms – Nottingham | Photo by: Faye Stacey – View From The Pit
The Robin Hood theme intro was cheeky being in Nottingham, it had people smiling before they were even on the stage.
Entering the stage, they smash straight into ‘Black Country Gothic‘ and it all makes sense, no easing in, no gentle start just straight into it. The place goes from anticipation to chaos in seconds.
What stands out straight away is how much control they’ve got over the room, not just musically but emotionally too ‘Hug A Bastard‘ lifts everything, more movement, more noise, more chaos but it never feels messy, it’s all deliberate.
Big Special mainly deliver through wit but when they go heartfelt, that’s when everything changes. ‘Black Dog / White Horse‘ is the turning point, lights drop, everything slows and suddenly you’ve gone from a bouncing room to near silence. Joe just stood there with the darkend lights making him look like a silhouette, delivering it like a monologue, it was proper spine-tingling stuff, you don’t get many moments like that at gigs where the entire room is just… still.
That contrast is what makes them so good live, they don’t sit in one lane, ‘Sluglife‘ and ‘Dragged Up A Hill (and thrown down the other side)‘ hit hard too, the more emotional weight with the grit is gobsmacking. You can feel people actually taking it in, not just reacting to it. Callum brought a bit humour at the end of ‘Dragged Up A Hill (and thrown down the other side)‘ by saying Joe said he would never play guitar on stage but look at him now, somebody shouted “Sellout” which raised smile from both of them.
Big Special | Rescue Rooms – Nottingham | Photo by: Faye Stacey – View From The Pit
Then, just when it feels like it’s getting heavy, they snap it straight back with a bit of humour, a bit of crowd interaction and suddenly you’re back in it. That balance between serious and not taking themselves too seriously is spot on.
‘Yesboss‘ is where it properly explodes again, biggest pit of the night, bodies everywhere and that sense of “this could go off at any second.” But even then, they find time to stop it all for a breather and for a very important raffle, raising money for a mate’s family and friends who they had lost due to cancer, tickets were available from the merch desk beforehand.
‘Shithouse‘ closes the main set and it’s chaos in the best way. Every band has that signature tune, ‘Shithouse’ is theirs and let’s be honest, is there a more romantic thing than to shout “Shithouse” into your loved one’s face on Valentines Day?… It was definitely a first and most probably a last.
The encore just pushes it even further and makes the connection with the band stronger. By now, any barrier between band and crowd is gone, Joe and Callum finish the set in the middle of the pit with everyone, we are all part of it now, it stops feeling like a performance and more like a moment everyone’s involved in. ‘Trees‘, ‘For The Birds‘ and ‘Dig!‘ Complete the encore, they all hit, all loud and leave everybody dripping with sweat by the end.
Standing there afterwards, absolutely done in, ears ringing, sweat dripping and coming around to the real world again, Nikki turned round and goes, “It’s only February… But is that gig of the year already?”
And honestly… it’s hard to argue with that.
All photographs were taken by Faye Stacey. Follow View From The Pit. For higher-resolution images or further usage, please contact Faye directly. See photos more below…
