The Xcerts at St Pancras Old Church

In between releasing an acoustic EP and touring with massive bands like Goo Goo Dolls, The Xcerts somehow manage to bless everyone with their presence at St Pancras Old Church. Is there a word more intimate than intimate? Illuminated by a few fairy lights, this venue is a far cry from the sold-out arenas the trio graced previously.

When singer Murray Macleod says, “This is kind of different”, he isn’t just referring to the location. Opener Daydream is made even dreamier, stripped back and slowed down. However, the frontman’s vocal talent certainly isn’t a dream. The audience wish they possessed it, but they can only lip-synch along. Despite the small stage, the band members still manage to provide energy during Drive Me Wild. This sends the crowd wild with applause. Kids on Drugs justifies why they chose the unconventional location, as Macleod’s voice, Jordan Smith’s guitar and Tom Heron’s drums echo without them even needing microphones or amplifiers.

Next, the vocalist describes Cry as a “Debby Downer” song, though it does not lull the mood. In fact, he slows things down even more for Aberdeen 1987, standing alone, armed only with his acoustic guitar. During tuning, Macleod says the song was recorded in a bedroom – so horribly that their friends can be heard eating cereal in the background – but he is grateful that it connected with so many people. Those people are definitely in the building. Everyone is reminded that they are in a church when the frontman conducts the audience to sing along, almost as if it is a hymn.

Macleod remains alone, though switching to an electric guitar, for Crisis in the Slow Lane. Despite the seriousness of the song, he tells the crowd how it was named after one of the funniest moments he witnessed: a man in a public pool who did no laps in 40 minutes. Interrupting his anecdote, Smith switches to keyboard for The Dark.

The band return for a cover of Drinking in LA, in which the mysterious fourth member, Ryan, is introduced. During There Is Only You, Smith and Macleod make use of the entire space, leaving the stage to play on the church’s piano. For the finale, Feels Like Falling in Love, the singer grabs a harmonica, and it really feels like everyone is falling in love with the group.

After the gig, people are left with a big question: when will they become big? The Xcerts have all of the makings of a good band – and more. However, if they do make it, there may be no more truly intimate gigs in the future.

Regan Harle

For further information and future events visit The Xcerts’s website here.

Watch the video for the single here: