Live Review: Spangled, The Utopiates & Subterrania – Cafe Indie, Scunthorpe
22/03/2025
Photo by: Marc Whiffen
Spangled made a b-line to Scunthorpe on Saturday, taking over one of the UK’s best hidden-gem grassroots venues, Café Indie in Scunthorpe, for a night with Westview Live. With The Utopiates and Subterrania also on the bill, this was an unmissable event.
Photo by: Marc Whiffen
First up were Subterrania, a band I didn’t know much about but from the moment they walked on to ‘The Weekend Has Landed’ speech from Human Traffic, they had my full attention. What an entrance.
This band has it all, the image, the attitude, and most importantly, the tunes. They channel the groove of The Stone Roses, The Charlatans, and Happy Mondays, blending it with the swagger of Oasis, and adding a heavier edge that made them undeniably their own.
‘Benidorm‘ made you puff your chest out with bravado, while ‘Knows Me Too Well‘ had an infectious groove, with frontman Dylan Cai completely lost in the 90s zone, like they were headlining Knebworth or Spike Island.
But the real moment of unity came with ‘Shine‘, a hands-in-the-air, arms-around-your-mates anthem. The kind of song you hear once on the radio, then spend hours trying to track down.
Subterrania are now a band that’s firmly on my radar.
Photo by: Marc Whiffen
Next up, The Utopiates. A band that follows one simple formula: making people move. Their sound pulls influences from New Wave, Baggy, 90s revival and even Nu-Rave, making them a fascinating band to witness live.
Usually a six-piece, they performed as a trio, which meant frontman Dan Popplewell had to pick up the guitar more instead of fully immersing himself with the crowd. At first, he didn’t seem too happy about it but Josh Redding turned into an octopus on stage, playing anything and everything, elevating the set despite the lineup change.
During ‘Only Human‘ and ‘Neighbourhood‘, it felt like the band weren’t having the best time, but by the time they reached their newest track ‘Evanescent‘, the mood shifted. The audience was locked in, fully engaged, and by the time they closed with ‘Ups and Downs‘, they were back in their element, realizing the set was anything but a disaster.
Photo by: Marc Whiffen
If you’ve never seen Spangled live, you need to. Once you do, you’ll be hooked. Their energy is contagious and they make every gig feel like a celebration.
Despite playing some huge stages in recent years, there’s something special about seeing them in a small venue where their boundless energy leads to them constantly bumping into each other. Early in the set, they played what you could now call classics including ‘CHARLIE HILLS‘ and ‘Swordfish Trauma‘, these immediately radiated their energy into the crowd which bounced back and forth like a game of ping pong.
In the last six months, Spangled have entered a new chapter. Their latest releases feel bigger, more emotional, and more ambitious, like they’re saying, We’ve had our fun, now we’re ready to smash the door down. We were lucky enough to hear all three new tracks at Cafe Indie.
‘Maggie‘ was a standout moment, A deeply personal song about frontman Ben Johnson’s grandmother, who suffered from dementia, but instead of being melancholic, the music turns it into a celebration of life. Seeing the entire venue sing back the lyrics was a beautiful moment. ‘Perfect Recluse‘ had the band at their loudest, the chorus ringing in your ears in the best way possible. And their newest track, ‘B-Line to Bruges‘, despite being out for just a week, already felt like a fan favorite, everybody knew the words, a testament to how strong these new songs are.
Of course, no Spangled gig is complete without a dance-along to ‘Crank Up The Splendour‘, it is impossible to resist so plenty of Bez-like moves were breaking out.
Between songs, shouts of ‘Crossbar Challenge‘ rang out from the crowd. The band rarely play it, but when they sang happy birthday to Westview Live’s promoter Gaz and he responded with the same shout, they were in a tricky spot, could they really deny the birthday boy his wish?
At first, Ben laughed and said, “Nooo.” Then the band walked off stage for about ten seconds before returning to say, “Alright, two more songs.” And sure enough, ‘Crossbar Challenge‘ was met with the biggest cheer of the night.
They closed with their signature finisher, ‘Little Tom‘, leading to one last mosh pit and a bit of a crowd surge. As the final notes rang out, Ben declared, “We’ve been Spangled… and so have you!” Looking around at the grinning, sweaty crowd, that was undeniable.
After a stellar 2024 and a blistering start to this year, armed with these new tunes, Spangled aren’t just a cult favourite anymore. They’re on the verge of becoming one of the most in-demand bands out there.
