By Iris Eastaugh, Second Year French and German
Back in June 2021, American artist Still Woozy announced his new album If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is alongside a tour spanning the US and Europe in the coming months.
After multiple cancellations due to Covid, the tour struggled to take off. By pushing the Bristol gig back to November 2022, I was intrigued to see whether this would affect his performance.
With an easy-going, indie-electronic sound, Still Woozy’s cross-genre music becomes addictive. Even though his renowned single ‘Goodie Bag’ has accumulated over 300 million streams on Spotify, Still Woozy should certainly not be considered a one hit wonder. Each song is paired with feel good vibes and emotive lyrics, a combination that has enticed his music fans. His strong fanbase was obvious given the buzz that encircled the well-loved venue Thekla on a dark November evening.
Dressed in a puffy pink dress, live band member Tani who goes by Legwurk, opened with a short set, radiating Still Woozy energy and setting the tone for the rest of the evening. The crowd filled up predominantly with students and young adults, as the second support act from Efé began. She provided a wholesome insight into her bedroom pop aesthetic, whilst enlivening the audience with smiles all round.
The crowd was not left waiting too long for the main act and soon enough Sven, aka Still Woozy, was cheered onto the stage with Tani on bass and synth and Harry on drums. As soon as they launched into ‘Window’ and ‘Rocky’, the crowd got dancing to some of the most loved songs of the album. The catchiness of Still Woozy’s music meant that from the outset of practically every song, the audience was belting out not only the lyrics but also the melodies right back to him
The band were evidently just as excited to be there as the audience was and the singer/guitarist exclaimed his awe at the venue when he shouted, “WTF we’re on a ship?!”. Anyone who has been to Thekla knows that it can get particularly hot and sweaty, and Sven did not hesitate to spray bottle upon bottle of water at the crowd.
The chemistry between this band was undeniable. The trio incorporated comedic elements into their rendition of the music, supplying endless dancing, play fighting and even getting the drummer to “shake some booty” to ‘WTF’ in the penultimate song. By the time they left for the encore, the crow was adamant that they return for “one more song” so that we could hear the much-loved ‘Goodie Bag’.
Still Woozy is proof that despite multiple setbacks, he and his band were determined to bring as much energy as possible to allow for a vibrant night of singalongs, dancing and contagious energy.
Have you listened to Still Woozy?
