Review | Sea Power at The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea: 'Inclusive, and joyous'

It began accordingly: slow, meditative, almost cautious. A gentle introduction comes in the shape of 2005’s True Adventures, the closer from the band’s second LP Open Season. With trumpet peeking through the haze, the band ease both themselves and the crowd into the evening, offering a warm, affectionate welcome befitting a room full of loyal fans.

Then the gears began to turn. The surge of It Ended On An Oily Stage, also from Open Season, arrives driven by a motorik pulse that locks the room into life. The violin – ever- present, like a guiding thread – stitched together the band’s shifting moods, while waves of delay-drenched guitar suggested a more disciplined take on the primordial drift of early Verve.

Sea Power operate across several lanes at once. There’s the hypnotic, kosmische-adjacent groove; the slow-build atmosphere recalling the patient crescendos of Godspeed You! Black Emperor; and the lilting, open-hearted pop you might find in Teenage Fanclub or Pavement at their most melodic. The real trick is how effortlessly they move between them.

A jaunty, almost disco-leaning number lifts the room instantly, while a later epic builds patiently before collapsing into cheers – a sea of raised fingers saluting the band.

There’s a thoughtful ebb and flow to the set: crescendos feel earned, and the quieter moments feel protective. By the end, as the band settle into a simple three-note communal refrain, the message is clear. Music shouldn’t just entertain – it should connect. Like jump leads for a flat battery, each song jolts memories and belonging back into life.

Two songs leapt out for me this evening: Two Fingers from 2021, and Waving Flags from 2008’s Do You Like Rock Music? Both feel so inclusive, and joyous. The songs aren’t dark, and they aren’t too light. They just sound good – especially tonight.