Porij bring their electric sound to London’s Electric Ballroom
The band were supported by Sam Girling.
Photo: Isla Kerr
This seems to be the year of Porij and before you correct my spelling, no, I do not mean the breakfast that derives from oats. What am I talking about, then? Well, the Manchester-founded, London-based four-piece who have been gaining more and more attention on the run-up to their debut album Teething released this week. They brought their UK tour to London’s Electric Ballroom on Wednesday evening and chased away the midweek blues.
Bedford-born Sam Girling kicked things off with a DJ set. The musician has been making rumblings in the electronic scene over the last year with the founding of his own label turned club night Attacca. He has hosted events in Bedford, Liverpool and London and collaborated with DJs from all over the UK. His set tonight was the perfect warm-up for the crowd and got everyone dancing. Even the security guards nodded their heads in time with the beat.
The house lights turned down as a revolving head could be seen on the screen backdrop of the stage. Scout Moore, better known as Egg (vocals, keys), Jacob Maguire (guitar), Nathan Carroll (drums) and James Middleton (bass) walked out to the building beat of the up-tempo Sweet Risk.
Having supported the likes of Coldplay and Metronomy, the band has a polished live performance and is used to playing to larger crowds. That said, it’s one thing playing to an arena of people there to see another band and another entirely when they have all come especially to see you. The giggles and genuine smiles displayed on every band member’s face throughout tonight’s set displayed this and more. It was a big night for Porij, and they rose to the occasion in style.
Porij classic 150 was introduced by Egg: “You’ll know this one,” they said and of course we did. Heads tilted back as the crowd lost themselves in the rhythm. Already loosened up thanks to Girling’s earlier set there was no time wasted in moving to the beat. These people were not only here to see their favourite band, but also to dance the night away.
The (at the time) unreleased first track on the new album, Marmite, soon followed with Egg sharing it was one of their ‘favourites’. It was a hit tonight and will likely have been added to many attendees’ playlists as soon as the album dropped.
My Only Love moved the crowd into the ‘tender part of the evening’. They responded to the change in pace well, with a cheer upon Egg announcing the transition and swaying in unison to the lyrics.
Porij merch Oat FC scarves were spun in the air as the setlist traversed from tracks of old, more recent hits and a lot of Teething’s unreleased material. A gear shift came in the form of a cover of Calvin Harris’s Acceptable in the 80’s. The timeless hit was sung word for word
As the night drew near to a close Egg used a moment between tracks to share what an ‘honour’ it was to be up on stage with ‘these three talented boys’ who ‘beyond that are actually really lovely’. Throughout the evening's set, it really did feel like you were watching four best friends having the time of their lives up on that stage. Smiling, making jokes to one another and dancing equally as much as the crowd. Tonight was a special night for many reasons, last night of tour, album release in just over 48 hours and, as we found out, Egg had gone to school just around the corner from the venue and had many lifelong friends in the crowd.
Breakout hit Nobody Scared felt like a celebration of everything this band has been, what they are now and who they are becoming. They have come a long way since its release back in 2021 and now seem to know exactly who they are and what they want.
Porij gave a performance worthy of their current hype tonight. Not only can they make great music, they know how to entertain too. The offerings on their new album are sure to be on repeat throughout the summer and will bring joy to all those who hear them. While the energy may never match this run-through at the Electric Ballroom the feeling injected within these tracks is sure to bring the party to wherever they are played.
Photos by Isla Kerr.