Childcare bring a sense of theatre to the latest Big Indie Big Nights show

At our last Big Indie Big Nights show at London’s Two Tribes Brewery - set in Tileyard Studios - London four-piece FOURS showed a huge amount of ambition, almost forcibly breaking out of the venue into significantly bigger climes with their shiny synth-pop, indebted to Haim, The 1975 and a big slab of ‘80s sheen.

Before our next guests Childcare even take to the stage tonight, though, it’s clear they’re not just ones to plug in and play either. The room is packed tonight, and spills out onto the courtyard outside, with people clambering on benches and beer barrels to get a glimpse. The band clearly know that they inspire this kind of devotion.

Their walk on music is introduced as a “guided meditation session”, before cult-like statements are read out, with the crowd asked to repeat them back. “All of my houseplants disobey my instructions,” is the first. “When I die, I will die listening to Childcare,” the robotic voice demands. “I will give my life for Childcare. I love Childcare,” it continues until it’s a bellow, and the band crash into their first song.

This sense of theatre defines the band - their chart-leaning pop is instantly appealing in itself, but performed with such vigour that it takes on a whole new purpose. Singalongs, band members plowing into the crowd, and choruses that will be mingling on the radio before long: it looks like Childcare are the whole package.