No Room for Giants at Brooklyn Bowl

Hailing from South West London, female led five-piece rock band No Room for Giants describe their music as “soul-punk,” citing influences from Bruce Springsteen to Weezer. Garnering an ever-growing following throughout London, their heavy rock sound has seen them play twice at the Isle of White Festival and at a host of revered London venues including: Notting Hill Arts Club, Putney’s Half Moon and King’s Cross’ Scala.

No Room for Giants create a melange of strident, drum-rich sounds that burst into emphatic choruses littered with clanging cymbals and build into ringing crescendos full of thundering bass and raucous guitar. Lead singer Emily Pickering is a powerful frontwoman, her voice strong and controlled and easily able to overpower the band’s huge noise. King is an intense track with anthemic drums and vehement guitars, while Paralysed brilliantly showcases Pickering’s tenacious vocal amid a clamorous stream of guitar, bass and percussion.

The band’s set was slick and steady, receiving a healthy reception from the audience. Despite this practised and extremely capable performance, however, No Room for Giant’s songs hark back to an age of emo and indie rock, which the popular British music scene left behind long ago. For new bands to stand out in a saturated industry originality is key, and although the show contained some impressive moments, there was stinging feeling that No Room for Giant’s tracks were all too familiar.

Songs that relied less upon the band’s heavy drum progressions and intense vocals were a welcome relief and held some visible promise. Tracks such as Young Blood deviated from the heavy rock sound, adding bright piano chords and light guitar licks, giving a richer, more intriguing texture and stood out from the rest of the set. Although a well rehearsed and obviously talented act, No Room for Giants lack the ability to amaze.

Alexandra Sims
Photo: Andy Lee

For further information and future events visit No Room for Giants’ website here.

Listen to Paralysed here: