GIFTED - DISORDER, MIDNIGHT HOUSEWORK, THE GIRLFRIEND COMPLEX & DOVEYY

It's that time of the month again where the NuMuze team have found ourselves back at another Gifted gig at The Belfast Empire Music Hall. January’s lineup featured Disorder as the headliner with Doveyy, The Girlfriend Complex and Midnight Housework as the support. Disorder’s first headline performance since their hiatus, and expectations were high. The Belfast Empire Music Hall was as vibrant as ever with a great turnout that increased as the night went on despite the icy evening.

First up was Doveyy. Having never heard of Doveyy before, I wasn’t honestly sure what to expect; however, not letting her nerves get the better of her, she displayed the breadth of her ability and talent as a musician, playing several different instruments and singing whilst playing each one (not all at the same time though, of course). Whilst she had two session musicians to fill in instruments when needed, she kept things intimate, preferring a stripped-back and more raw approach to her performance. With plenty of songs about relationships and exes, they were relatable and fresh as she added her own sarcastic and retrospective perspective on things. Her tone had a bit of Adele-like rasp mixed with what turned out to be a lively set, even if things seemed a little chaotic at times. Her new single, ‘Love Me to Death’, is also coming out on the 9th of January, so be sure to look out for that.

Next up was The Girlfriend Complex. One of the first bands I ever went to watch live in the Belfast scene, and having seen them a few times since, I was keen to see how they had developed. They were a band with a lot of promise and raw talent back when I first heard them live, and so what I wanted to find out was had they capitalised on their momentum and honed in on that promise and talent? I was treated to the answer I had hoped for. The band was much tighter than before, having clearly put in the hours in practice. Their set was refined to a high standard. Even the stage presence of all the band members seems to have just clicked and made them very enjoyable to watch. Their best-known song, ‘Think’, which was released in 2024, was as good as ever, with some particularly nice backing vocals from Spike Rose, the rhythm guitarist, who sang a harmony that just floated over the top of Serena Browne’s lead vocals, making for a fuller sound. A highlight for me was their third track, ‘No Way Out’. A heavier tune which, as a fan of heavier-style indie rock, I enjoyed a lot. If they keep working as hard as they clearly have been, then they are headed in the right direction. 

The third support slot was given to Midnight Housework, a band that I knew about but hadn’t had the chance to get down and see. Even though they are a newer outfit, it was immediately clear that the members of Midnight Housework were not new to performing. Their vocalist, Sean Hogan was the most interesting of the night, as he had a cool and unique tone to his voice that suited their style of ambient rock superbly. Their last song was a favourite of mine, as it was the clearest and best showcase of not just their ability as individual musicians but also their performance as a band. The song is titled ‘Utoh’ but unfortunately is unreleased, but that only means there is more reason to get down to hear them at their next gig. And on top of that, having had the opportunity to chat to a couple of the band members after their set, it is clear they are just top lads, and I absolutely will catch them again in the future. 

Credit: Beau

Finally, the band that I was extremely keen to see, Disorder. Whilst I have streamed a lot of Disorder music, I had only ever seen them once before, over a year ago. In that length of time, after some difficulties as a band, it was inevitable that things would be different; what was not clear before was what this change would look like both behind the scenes and on stage. After a brief chat with lead vocalist and frontman David England, he summed up where Disorder is now as a band very well. Claiming that they have changed who they are entirely, beginning with their very identity. He claimed that they aren’t trying to be a band anymore, but they are just a group of mates who enjoy playing music together. Hopefully this positive change turns out to be the start of something special for Disorder, as they had a very different feel onstage compared to when I last saw them. They seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves, having fun all whilst putting on a great display of talent for the audience. However, I feel I need to note that these changes in both attitude and identity have not hindered David England’s ability as a frontman at all, as he is just as brilliantly confident as ever. Playing a mix of both old and new songs, I would like to comment on one of each. Playing the fan favourite and older tune ‘Power to the People’ was fantastic. It was a little nod to those who have been fans for a while, as it still has that heavy bite to it that everyone loves. But my favourite song of maybe the entire night was a new unreleased track, ‘Icarus’. With some great riffs and vocals, it really set the tone for the future of disorder.

As usual, a massive thank you to ChordBlossom for having Lewis and I down and for putting on another great Gifted gig. Be sure to get down to Chordblossom’s next Gifted gig if you love live, local music!