BIG SPECIAL, live at The Roundhouse, London

Words by Miles Milton-Jefferies

Photography by Isaac Watson

If everyone’s a big band to someone; to Big Special, it’s no longer just the cunts that are in them. Their rapid rise as four years as a band has seen them go from playing in small tents at End of the Road Festival ’24 (another win for the tastemaker festival) to packing out the Roundhouse on a Friday night, which is no small achievement.

It’s a terrific night: if you’re getting the feeling of going nowhere in just about anything and are angry at the world around you and want to shout and jump, Big Special are that band for you – having navigated that difficult second album syndrome marvellously they now establish themselves as an appointment act live; in no small part due to their magnetic live performances that almost feel like a stage play at times; baiting the audience. They’ve heard rumours about London, they say, and dare the crowd to better, and also bring out their manager who seems to have a fetish for being booed – blaming him for stalling for time by saying that he gets paid per track. It’s excellent witty humour that the crowd love – you’ll be laughing from the moment they come on to the moment you finish full of cathartic punk energy in the best way possible.

First act I made it down for was Gans (though not to discredit the incredible Good Health Good Wealth, who I’m sure I’ll see again), from Birmingham, who bring the energy flowing from the start. It’s a barnstormer energy that shows so much different live compared to their records but it’s only an upgrade, high-octane punk that pulls you under their spell. They run through Good for the Soul in high-tempo energy that proves yes, they are – very much good for the soul, and the soul of everyone in them. Jacob Peck is terrific as a frontman and the Birmingham outfit can make a venue as big as The Roundhouse feel small and bursting full of life; the riffs gnarly and the percussion coming in full swing; dominated by the bass that sends shockwaves through the room. The pit explodes – not bad considering the average age of the crowd is on the higher side; and we get I Think I Like You as a perfect way to swing into the weekend. They aren’t ones to shy away from crowd-surfing and frontman Jacob Peck plunges into an adoring audience, who are there just as much to see these guys as Big Special – it’s a hell of a pairing, and the idea of being good to each other dominates the core of this bands’ ethos – they’re just nice guys, able to reflect their kind of therapy on the audience and give them the feel-good factor that the vibe brings to the table. They are a band who are well-loved everywhere they play and it’s easy to see why – nobody has spoken a bad word about them.

There is walk on music, and there is WALK ON MUSIC, and Big Special is very much the latter: GREAT FUCKING WALK ON MUSIC at that, coming onto John Williams’ Duel of the Fates, the fans are in a good mood long before they kick the house down – bands not being creative enough with their walk on music is very common; but Big Special aren’t afraid to raise the roof from song one. The black country duo is explosive, Joe Hicklin and Callum Moloney first headlined in the capital just down the road in Camden’s Dublin Castle but now they be here, marking not a homecoming show (they’re not Londoners) and join in on the goading – but a circle. Their debut album POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES saw them pack out Kentish Town. Now the Roundhouse; one might worry about their quick turnaround in second album but for NATIONAL AVERAGE, they avoided the second album syndrome masterfully – it’s a barnstormer and they get the opportunity to run through it tonight and the crowd fall in love with them. It’s a band of sheer grit, determination and the will to keep going no matter the odds. I last caught them at End of the Road – this is an upgrade and shows that the time that they have had to tour works out wonderfully for sheer amount of practice. 

The wave of historic acts that have played in the Roundhouse can add another name to that list: Big Special (and for that matter, all three acts). And they’re tremendous – bringing the right energy for a Friday night and those bands that have turned the UK dystopia into a rebellious battle cry of a record – IDLES, Shame – all influences, all now contemparies. They mock the crowd: they say they’re only there for the money and then explain a bit about what irony is just in case media literacy is as dead in the room as it is online; tongue in cheek with a little bit of wry banter. The practical sound effects and the game-show gongs at a touch of comedy to proceedings: and it’s BLACK COUNTRY BASTARD that gets them going; the band making no small claim to where they come from and telling the audience why – they’re proud of their heritage. 

This leads into HUG A BASTARD. And then we’re back to the classics (aren’t they all?): GOD SAVE THE PONY, DESPERATE BREAKFAST and the barnstorming THIS HERE AIN’T WATER (“This – here – ain’t – water // but it was offered me to drink // when everyone we know is thirsty – what – am – I – to think?”) which leads the audience into a singalong. It’s stripped back, emotions laid bare – vulnerable and hard-hitting, with influence of The Black Keys and The Streets at times evidence on its inward sermon, that compels you to look at the lyrics and reflect. It’s a band preaching to the Roundhouse and everyone is listening on tender-hooks.

It's an emotional night. A friend of the band has sadly passed, and they’re raising money for his widow. The raffle is deployed midway through the set and a guy gets the prize who happens to be standing in the front row (coincidence? In a Big Special pit, unlikely). It’s fun to watch them hold their prize aloft for the rest of the gig as the mosh surges from side to side – the Roundhouse moving like it never has before. I love BLACK DOG/WHITE HORSE just as much as THIS HERE AIN’T WATER – “he’ll be coming round / he’ll be coming round again // a black dog, atop a white horse, followed by the serpent and the wren” is an ode to death – and it’s an emotional one. “why do sad people lie?” the lyrics ask. It feels, like it all stripped down, and the old country blues are laid bear here – almost like a heavier O Brother, Where Art Thou? If it was set in the Black Country instead of rural America. It was one of my favourite songs of 2024 – just like THIS HERE AIN’T WATER of 2025 – so always a real treat to see it live. Based on this quality, one album a year please lads?

Their manager is brought out to start YESSBOSS. (and unsurprisingly, booed), and SHITHOUSE goes down a stormer, a Sleaford Mods-esque rallying cry. There is an Encore – of course – there always is, but what a three-track combo – TREES I adore, FOR THE BIRDS and DIG! is the best way to end on. You can tell Gans love these guys; they’re in the pit and leading the crowd-surfers – and the perfect synchronisation of support and main act makes the whole thing worth it. An early contender for show of the year – be sure to catch them when they play Bearded Theory. They’ve given Billy Bragg and The Smiths a shot in the arm and turned their witty British humour into a melting pot that’s ready to explode: if you haven’t jumped on the Big Special train yet, you’re very much missing out. They’re big now. Embrace it. And yes, regardless of what you may think – they’re a big political act, and the calls for a Free Palestine bring the house down.

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