A lively crowd gathered at The Prospect Building in Bristol as Michigan emo favourites Hot Mulligan brought their latest UK tour to the city. Taking place in one of the venue’s smaller rooms rather than the main warehouse space, the show had a more intimate feel, with fans packed tightly near the stage and the atmosphere building steadily throughout the evening.
Opening the night were Exeter trio Soot Sprite, clearly relishing what frontwoman Elise Cook described as the biggest stage the band had played to date. Drawing from their acclaimed 2025 debut album Wield Your Hope Like a Weapon, the band delivered a confident and engaging set that blended fuzzy shoegaze textures with the melodic sensitivity of Midwest emo. Cook’s vocals carried an intimate, confessional quality, while the band’s tight rhythms and layered guitars created a sound that felt both expansive and personal. Songs exploring themes of burnout and quiet political frustration resonated with the early crowd, and the trio’s enthusiasm was infectious. It was easy to see why they are quickly gaining attention in the UK emo and indie underground.
Next up were Brighton’s Delta Sleep, whose intricate math rock sound provided a different flavour as the room continued to fill. Built around complex guitar interplay and shifting rhythms, their set showcased the band’s technical precision while maintaining a melodic core. Material from their latest record, Blue Garden, hinted at a heavier and more atmospheric direction, though the emphasis remained on tight musicianship and carefully constructed dynamics.
By the time Hot Mulligan finally stepped onto the stage, the room was packed, and the energy had shifted noticeably. Frontman Nathaniel “Tades” Sanville barely needed to greet the crowd before the first chorus triggered a wave of voices singing every word back at the band. It is this shared release that sits at the heart of a Hot Mulligan show. Songs that feel introspective on record become something communal and cathartic in a live setting.
Across a fast-moving set that balanced newer material with well-loved favourites, the Lansing five-piece delivered punchy guitars, restless stage energy and vocals that swung effortlessly between melodic vulnerability and full-throated catharsis. Sanville kept the mood loose between songs, joking more than once about fans loving the old material before shrugging and introducing another newer track anyway. The crowd hardly seemed to mind. Huge choruses rang out across the room.
The encore provided the night’s clearest highlight. As the opening notes of BCKYRD rang out, the entire room seemed to lift another level, voices rising above the band as the song built towards its closing moments.
For a couple of hours, in a room full of strangers shouting the same words back at the stage, the relentless noise of the outside world felt briefly muted. In a moment where the wider world often feels chaotic and exhausting, nights like this offer a rare and welcome release.
