LIVE REVIEW: Microwave & The Dirty Nil @ Scala, London

On the final night of their co-headline tour, both MICROWAVE and THE DIRTY NIL give it their all as they play to dedicated fans at Scala in London. In order to fit in both headliners and SICK JOY as a support act, each band only play for under an hour. But don’t be fooled; they still make the most of their short set times. Tonight feels like a celebration and there is a lot to celebrate. MICROWAVE are about to release their fourth album Let’s Start Degeneracy and THE DIRTY NIL are back in the UK for the first time in almost five years. This is the ultimate rock party.

Brighton-based punk duo SICK JOY arrive on stage with a lot of energy. Kicking off with their 2017 single Smiling Shame before descending into the punky Don’t Feel Like Dying from their 2022 debut album We’re All Going to F***ing Die, the duo make the most of their half an hour set. Although they only play seven songs, there is also plenty of crowd interaction. After introducing themselves and playing 2023 stand-alone single Hypodermic Sunshine, lead singer and guitarist Mykl Barton tells the audience that it is great to be back in London before the band launch into the joyful rock of unreleased song Cinnamon. The audience are bouncing along to every song that the band play, although there are some people who are preserving their energy by standing still. As the closing notes of Painkiller echo around the room, and the audience slow down to catch their breath, it looks like it won’t be long until SICK JOY are back to play Scala again.

Rating: 8/10

Even though Canadian rockers THE DIRY NIL only play for fifty minutes, their fourteen song set still makes a brilliant impression upon the audience, who never seem to run out of energy, although there are some people watching from the comfortable sofas at the venue’s Glass Bar, which overlooks the stage, either to save energy or to get out of the hustle and bustle of the crowd. Opening with Please, Please Me from their 2018 album Master Volume, the majority of the band’s set are from Master Volume and their most recent album, 2023’s From Reign To Pleasures. However, they also play Blunt Force Concussion, Doom Boy, and Hang Yer Moon from their 2021 album Fuck Art.

Despite the small stage, the band are full of energy that is evident in their performance. It is clear from they are happy to be back in London and are making up for lost time. However, because it is such a short set, the band do not have much time to interact with the audience, although they manage to say some short sentences about how happy they are to tour in the UK again. But the best part comes before their song Dead Jobs. Frontman Luke Bentham talks about dead-end jobs that cause people to drift by in life before he asks a member of the audience what his job is, although it has to be repeated due to how loud the crowd are.

THE DIRTY NIL makes sure that they make up for lost time by playing a mixture of older and newer songs. There is something for everyone on this setlist, whether you became a fan of them recently or have been there since the very beginning. It’s nice to see some older songs make an appearance, although it’s also understandable where there is a slightly more heavy focus on the newer songs, and the audience certainly enjoy them. Friends hug each other, strangers laugh and dance, and the room is brimming with so much energy. The small venue helps this as everything is a lot more intimate and closed in. The stage is low, so there is no barrier between the audience and the band, further cementing the closeness between them.

It is a bit of a shame that THE DIRTY NIL do not have a full headline show because the fifty minutes rush by in a blur. It seems like the band reach the peak of their performance before it is all over. If they had had a longer time, then it could have worked really well as an energetic show that would have got everyone in the audience fired up. However, what we do get are a band who are appreciative to be back in a country where everyone is a fan. Whilst it isn’t perfect due to the short timing, THE DIRTY NIL prove why they deserve to be headlining venues like Scala. But after tonight’s performance, it is clear that the venues can only increase in size from here.

Rating: 9/10

MICROWAVE finally arrive as the last band of the night. Starting off with new song Ferrari, the band are smart enough to allow their slower indie rock to take centre stage. Phone lights are a constant during their fifty-minute set. But the band do not always lean into the indie rock music, as there are times when they play the faster-paced rock of songs that have already been released from their upcoming album. However, sometimes they do lean heavily on the indie rock sound. Whilst this does work to a certain extent to give the audience time to relax because of the two previous high-energy sets, sometimes the energy threatens to fall flat. However, the band never drop the ball completely as they play some high energy songs as well. Lead singer and guitarist Nathan Hardy, bassist Tyler Hill and drummer Timothy Pittard are all in top form and work smoothly as a band, especially when they play extended solos, making their show one to remember.

But their set also suffers the same problem that THE DIRTY NIL did, as it’s only fifty minutes. Even with the slower songs, the band do not get enough time to truly show off their extensive list of songs. But they make do with the time that they have, and show off their skills at playing their instruments, as many of the songs have extended solos that get the audience hyped. Whilst the previous sets suffered somewhat by the wavering energy, during MICROWAVE, the crowd is one moving organism. At several points, it is hard to tell what is happening to the crowd as they can’t stop dancing and having the time of their lives.

By playing a mixture of older and newer songs, the band embrace their past whilst briefly looking towards the future. The majority of the setlist comprises of songs from their 2016 sophomore album, Much Love. Whilst other bands would’ve taken the opportunity to play more songs from their upcoming album, MICROWAVE don’t. Their fourth album, Let’s Start Degeneracy, is due out in a matter of days, so the band are smart enough to keep their cards close to their chest and only play the songs that have been released. By keeping the focus on the older songs, the band focus on their previous albums and sound, although the songs that they choose to play from Let’s Start Degeneracy fit in perfectly.

The encore consists of fan-favourites Lighterless from their 2016 album Much Love and But Not Often from their 2015 split EP with HEAD NORTH. These two deep cuts from the band’s discography are worth the wait as the first song is fast-paced rock song and the final song is an up-tempo indie-rock song. It is a fast-paced ending that is in contrast to the slow-paced start, but it shows what a journey that this show has been.

As the closing notes ring out as the band leave the stage and the fans file out of the venue, tonight has been a unique experience as MICROWAVE have shown off their greatest hits and deep cuts from their ever-growing discography in just under an hour. Tonight might’ve been short, but it was also extremely sweet. MICROWAVE know how to put on a show, regardless of how long it is.

Rating: 10/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Anne Pfalzgraf here: 

Like MICROWAVE  and THE DIRTY NIL on Facebook.