2026 is a big year for many people, but in the case of Manchester-based indie band The Covasettes, 2026 is the biggest year of their career. Having formed a decade ago, they’ve slowly built up a cult following thanks to their signature sound and their irresistibly catchy tunes.
After much patience from their fanbase, the band will finally release their long-awaited debut album, Honeymoon Forever, in April. However, while we wait for their big studio offering, the band have begun warming us up for this moment by embarking on their biggest ever headline tour, concluding with a sold-out hometown show to 1500 people at the O2 Ritz. Tonight’s performance at the wonderful second room of the O2 Institute in Birmingham proved to be a fantastic evening, and most of all gave us a taste of what’s to be an exciting few months.
The first support for the night, Harvey Jay Dodgson, definitely won over the crowd with his fiery personality and emotionally charged music, with football-like chants of “Oh Harvey Jay Dodgson!!” sung throughout his entire set. Harvey delivers every line of every track with passion and intensity, made all the better by the heavy, distorted guitars and a bass sound that could shake the listener to their core. An extra bit of praise, however, is warranted for Theo Williams, who stood in as the band’s drummer for the show and played every groove like he was one of their own.
The Cheap Thrills, who were the second support of the night, may not have been as ferocious and intense, but the band certainly made up for it with their charm and connectedness. Whether it was the brief yet snappy jokes they made between songs, or simply the fact that they were playing on stage with massive smiles on their faces, their positive energy radiated throughout the venue, and subsequently translated into some great performances of their songs. Their Scouse accents were certainly loved by many in the crowd too!
Then came The Covasettes, introducing themselves to the tune of ‘Mr Brightside’ by The Killers, before kicking things off with the opening track from their forthcoming debut album, ‘Watching You’. A track with several tempo and stylistic changes throughout the song, it certainly marks a new era for the band and was the perfect opening track to the set. The ever-so joyous frontman Chris Buxton uttered “Have you ever tried this one?” before diving into an abundance of the band’s best hits, from ‘Duvet Thief’ to ‘Twit Twoo’. Chris was on top form the entire night, whether it was a running joke about a special cardigan that he’s brought out for this tour, or a slight dig at Stoke-On-Trent, uttering how much nicer it was to play in Birmingham than Stoke. Then came the first of special guests, Chris’ 14 year old nephew, Harley, who passionately introduced ‘Love in Polaroid’ to rapturous applause.
If there was a crowd you wanted to be in, it was tonight’s crowd. There was a ubiquitous connection between the band and the audience, with Chris channelling their energy and releasing it for all. During their breakout 2017 song ‘This Feeling’, Chris even jumped into a mosh pit in the crowd, embracing them all and cementing his strong relationship with the fans. He’d have been grateful that he didn’t have a can of beer poured on him tonight, which unfortunately happened at one of the earlier shows on the tour! Despite this, you can’t have a good show without some good music, and The Covasettes served that in plenty.
Before the band played ‘What A Rush’ off the new album, Chris voiced some concerns about whether it would be as good live if not everyone knew the words; however, with a song that’s as catchy as ‘What A Rush’, made even better by guitarist Matt Hewlett’s snappy guitar riff. There is something about hearing The Covasettes live which puts the biggest smile on your face and has you uncontrollably tapping your feet or bopping your head like it’s indie medicine. And even when things are a bit slower, like on ‘She Is’, it’s so wonderfully delivered and warranted the beautiful sea of phone torches in the air.
The band then decided to give their newest member, Lizzie Wenninger, a chance in the spotlight by playing a ‘new song off the album’. I put that in quotation marks because instead, we got served an inspired cover of The Verve’s timeless classic, ‘Bittersweet Symphony’, complete with a special reappearance by Harvey Jay Dodgson. Then came one last special guest, whom Chris proudly exclaimed they had spent all their budget on. That guest was, of all things, a cow (no, not a real one, don’t worry!). This cow, whose real name was Will, was greeted by moo’s rather than boo’s before unveiling a briefcase containing a poster promoting the new album. This clever bit of marketing will have sold the record to a few in the audience (it certainly has me interested in buying the album!) as they push for a Top 10 when it releases in April.
As the set drew to a close, we were treated to some more new tracks, like ‘Such A Dream’ and the album’s title track, ‘Honeymoon Forever’, both of which are very strong thanks to fantastic contributions by drummer Matt Buckley and bassist Jamie McIntyre. Finishing the 17-song set off with ‘Top Drawer’, it perfectly summed up both the night and the band’s performance itself: top drawer.
With the increasingly high concentration of indie bands emerging in the UK, The Covasettes stand out thanks to their willingness to be themselves and be expressive, and there’s no doubt in my mind that the release of their debut album will be just the push they need to get a lot more people talking about them.
