LIVE REVIEW: Squid @ Northumbria University SU, Newcastle (21.02.25)

Image by Harrison Fishman

Armed with a winningly unshowy verve, Squid spiritedly kick off the proceedings, launching straight into the sublime menace of Crispy Skin. The gaggle of now-amped revellers barely get a breather before the Brighton quintet spiral into Building 650’s hypnotic cacophony, frontman Ollie Judge’s frenetic drumming and yelped vocals setting the tone for the night — restless, protean and utterly gripping.

This onslaught of tempered bedlam gives way to moody atmospherics, with Blood On The Boulders unfurling in eerie waves, its haunting brass flourishes filling the room like a siren call. G.S.K. brings a tight, motorik groove, before Swing (In A Dream) twists and turns, writhing between dreamlike haze and jagged intensity. The Fieldworks pair signal an interlude of-sorts, their abstracted melange of field recordings and warped instrumentation casting a nervy spell.

Things hit a propulsive peak with Cro-Magnon Man and Undergrowth, which see Squid’s off-kilter rhythms and swirling licks whip the crowd into a febrile sway. By the time The Blades erupts into Cowards, it’s pure catharsis — discordant, pounding, glorious.

The encore remains just as mercurial. Interlude nods back to Crispy Skin before Narrator stretches out into an explosive, sprawling finale. The set closes with Well Met (Fingers Through the Fence), a slow-burning, jittery comedown to an exhilarating, mind-melting performance. Safe to say Squid are, indubitably, in a league unto themselves.