Liverpudlian Lads, Keyside, Bring Their Jangly Pop To Camden Assembly
- Desh Kapur
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Camden Assembly, London 26th November 2025
IMAGES DAVE BROOME / WORDS STEFANI NTOUMENOPOULOS
Fresh off the back of their hometown Liverpool gig, Keyside brought their Scouse
charm to Camden Assembly. The venue, while small, has an iconic history, having
seen the likes of Coldplay, The xx, and Bloc Party all grace the stage in their early
years. And certainly, Keyside seem like the kind of young band who are hungry for a
similar kind of success. For blokes who look only just out of their teens, they are
practiced, charming and boyishly endearing, eager to please an appreciative crowd
and gunning for greater heights.
The lads were supported by the even younger seeming and wide-eyed Camber, a
sweet trio who were visibly chuffed to be there. While the sound was a little noisy
and rough round the edges, they were energetic and keen to prove themselves. In
many ways, they were the perfect support because they appeared like younger
versions of Keyside themselves; just fresh-faced boys in a band seduced by all the
romantic promises of music; travelling round with your mates, endless, beers, girls,
and being in the spotlight.
Keyside entered the stage with energy, albeit there were some nerves. London is,
after all, a much tougher crowd to win over than your hometown but win over the
crowd they did. While the first few songs were simply easing in, the set really started
to pick up with “Rhianna, Please Don’t Cry”. Looking back at the packed crowd,
many faces were beginning to mouth the words, although they never fully erupted
into sound.
Even so, the boys were building well, becoming emboldened with every new tune.
Mid-set highlight “Down My Way”, probably one of their catchiest songs to date was
swiftly followed by another set highlight, “Michael (What’s Your Call)”. You could feel
the crowd lift with both these efforts, which only encouraged the lads further. Songs
were punctuated by football banter, which seemed to hit all the right notes with the
crowd; a mixture of boo’s and cheers for the various names but always good-natured
and fun. Lead singer, Dani-Lee Parker, kept the banter light and cheeky, effectively
rousing the audience’s spirits.
Indeed, many of Keyside’s songs seemed to be following in that great British
tradition of pop songs named after women, idolising their beauty and yearning after
their unattainability. It was only fitting for them then to herald their final track of the
night by teasing the verse and chorus of iconic Stone Roses song, “Sally Cinnamon”,
before belting to a close with their own, “Angeline”.
It’s clear the boys are enthralled with the history of their own style guitar pop,
seeking to both mimic and pay respect to some of Britain’s great bands like The
Kinks, The Stone Roses and The Kooks. While some of Keyside’s tracks did blend
together, they still feel like a band building momentum, and definitely one to watch as
guitar bands continue to make their welcome return to the music scene.
SET LIST
(Keyside)
1. Nikita
2. Paris To Marseille
3. Rihanna, Please Don’t Cry
4. High to High
5. Down My Way
6. Lights Out
7. Michael
8. Turn Back The Time
9. If You Don’t Try
10. Rock My Love
11. Runaway
12. Sally
13. Angeline
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