This leg of the tour is officially sold out, with Bristol being the first to go, packed with eager fans who’ve supported the band from the very beginning.
The night opened with a magnetic set from Woody, a 22-year-old South Londoner at the vanguard of a new wave of experimental UK artists.
His sound blends the hazy charm of Mac DeMarco with the vocal similarities of Ed Sheeran, but with a distinct emotional texture that’s all his own. Woody taught himself to produce beats on his laptop and hasn’t looked back - he's a self-made artist whose DIY spirit shines through in his performance. He won the crowd over early by nodding to his bassist being from Bristol, which earned a cheer and a few proud chants from the front rows. Tracks like 'when you leave' landed gently, catching the crowd off guard in the best way. 'out of my mind' is arguably their most chart-ready single yet. Keep an eye on this guy, there’s more to come, and it’s going to be good.
Then came hard life, and the whole band burst onto the stage with eager energy, especially Murray Matravers. Draped in a red hoodie with red onions strung around his neck, he stepped onto the stage with a grin that said, “Yes, we’re leaning into it.” It was a cheeky nod to their new album, but also something deeper. ‘onion’ isn’t just a title, it’s a symbol. Of layers peeled back, of rawness exposed, of a difficult period that saw the band forced to change their name after a legal battle and personal struggles for Murray himself. You could even argue that wearing onions around your neck is a kind of spiritual shield, warding off bad demons and energy. And after the last few years, that’s something Hard Life definitely don’t want to encounter again.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a hard life show without a nod to their origin story, or should I say, their legal plot twist. Their debut album ‘life’s a beach’ dropped in 2021, but by October 2023, they’d been forced to swap 'easy' for 'hard' after a lawsuit from easyGroup. Apparently, defending your band name in court is anything but easy, and the internet didn’t exactly make it easier. As Murray previously told Music is To Blame, “Choosing a name is the sh*t part about being in a band… I don’t think easy life was one, I don’t think hard life’s a good name. I don’t think Arctic Monkeys is one either, they’re all terrible, aren’t they?” It’s that blend of honesty and humour that makes them so relatable.
They opened their set with 'tears', a track that set the emotional tone for the night with its refrain, “It’s a hard life”, echoing through the venue like a mantra. That line wasn’t just lyrical; it became a theme. Murray spoke candidly about how much it meant to be back on tour after “going through a whole lot of shit,” both legally and personally. The crowd responded with warmth, and the band returned it tenfold, thanking fans for their constant support, for showing up, for being chill in the pub before the gig, for making it all feel worth it.
The setlist was a blend of old and new, with 'sunday' and 'daydreams' bringing a wave of nostalgia, followed by 'peanut butter' which had the crowd bouncing. But it was the newer tracks, 'othello' and 'y3llow bike' that really stood out. They felt fresh, confident, and deeply backed by the band. You could tell they believed in ‘onion’ as a body of work, and that belief was contagious. Those two were personal favourites, stylistically bold, emotionally rich, and sonically tight.
Then came 'pockets'. Before launching into it, Murray paused to dedicate the song to Lewis’ dad Andrew, who had recently passed away after a battle with cancer. He was a huge supporter of the band, so much so that he got a massive easy life tattoo on his bicep when the song first came out. The crowd was asked to hold up their lights in tribute, and the venue glowed with quiet solidarity. We all know how communal music can be, a way to cope with loss, to honour memory, and to feel less alone. It’s something I’ve done and continue to do myself. This was one of those rare moments where sound became ceremony, and grief found a rhythm we could all share. The band are encouraging donations to LOROS Hospice, which supported Lewis’ family through it all.
The emotional weight of that moment echoed something the band had shared earlier: they’ve been “through a whole lot of shit,” not just legally, but personally too. That vulnerability was woven through the entire set, especially in tracks from ‘onion’, which felt like pages torn from a diary, raw, necessary, and deeply human. There’s something magnetic about discovering a band that feels like they’re writing your life in real time. For me, that band is hard life. I stumbled across 'DEAR MISS HOLLOWAY' in 2022, and since then, their music has become a kind of emotional shorthand, a way to name the chaos, the softness, and the contradictions of being young right now.
The new songs didn’t just sound good, they felt necessary. Like therapy with a beat. Like peeling back layers (a note to Dreamworks' Shrek), just as the album title suggests, and finding something tender at the core. In a climate where social media can amplify every misstep and ridicule every moment, hard life have stayed grounded. They’ve faced the kind of scrutiny that turns comment sections into battlegrounds, yet their music remains a safe space not only for their fans, but themselves.
Amy King
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