Live Report Ulysses Wells brings his riff-heavy blues to Two Tribes for the first Big Indie Big Nights gig of the year

It’s the first Big Indie Big Nights gig of 2019 tonight, and the first at Two Tribes Brewery since London’s freshest purveyors of pop, Childcare, took to the stage here back in November. While there’s less fanfare this time around - tonight’s guests, Ulysses Wells and his band, start playing without saying a word, a stark contrast to Childcare’s cult-like introduction three months ago - the crowd is every bit as enthusiastic.

They’ve come to see Ulysses’ brand of riff-heavy blues-rock (which has earned him comparisons with Jack White, Royal Blood and The Black Keys) and there’s plenty of them. The room is full - some people have to peer in from the courtyard outside.

The band, too, seem to be struggling for space; between him, two singers, a drummer, a bassist and a keyboard player, there’s not enough room on stage, and the latter has to hammer away at his keys from the sidelines. Fortunately, this division doesn’t seem to phase the band, who rattle through their seven-song setlist in style. They close with their latest single, ‘Back With The People’; a fitting way to mark Big Indie Big Nights’ return.