Words and Images by Adora Mekuleyi @alwaysadora
I had missed Luvcat’s set at The Great Escape festival begrudgingly, so when I saw them on the line up for Wide Awake festival I made sure to get there early to catch their set at the makeshift Shacklewell Arms stage. Finding the venue was easier this time, thankfully no detours or confusion; however, it must be noted that a girl’s journey to the Shacklewell Arms has never been so hilly.
The audience was a mix that felt like a microcosm of the UK’s indie underground: young girls with the excitement of first concerts, older men who seem like the scene’s unspoken patrons, Michael and Paul, I see you, thank you for holding it down. They had already been dragging themselves away from the food stalls and the bar as the stage filled and before Sophie took command.
The set opened with their newest single Lipstick, a track that feels like a confident statement, a merging of theatricality and intimacy, the perfect invitation, a song rooted into sex with layers of love innuendos. Sophie’s presence is magnetic, and though she’s fronting a band of four men, she exudes a distinctly feminine energy that’s sharp, playful, and deliberate. She calls her songs “murder ballads,” and you believe it. There’s a dark storytelling thread winding through the lyrics, layered with sex, violence, and desperate hope, all coated in a kind of theatrical melancholy that is impossible to ignore.
The setlist took us on a winding journey: ‘Lipstick’, ‘Alien’, ‘Matador’, ‘Love & Money’, ‘He’s My Man’ and ‘Blushing’. Each song unfolded like a scene from a film, visceral, cinematic, and textured. Love & Money felt like a ghost story whispered through the cracks of Camberwell’s Old Dispensary, a hopeful nights tale wrapped in shadow and flickering red neon light.
There’s a rehearsed nature to Sophie’s performance that could feel stiff in less capable hands, but she makes it work, it’s slick but never forced. Her signature faux cat ears, which she wears during Matador, have become a viral symbol on TikTok, but seeing them live gave them new life, playful and unpretentious. Despite all the online hype, her performance never felt like a tick-box exercise; it felt alive, raw, and genuine.
Her voice is a fascinating instrument, one moment a soft, almost vulnerable Liverpool lilt, the next a fierce, raw belter that seizes the room’s attention and won’t let go. The shift is sudden but natural, a tug-of-war between restraint and release that makes every song unpredictable and compelling.
Between songs, Sophie mentioned this was her first festival season. It was a small admission but an important one: a reminder that this moment is new for her, that Luvcat is still on the rise, carving out space in a crowded scene. And what a space they’ve carved. The way Sophie and the band performed songs about woeful love, layered with sex, danger, and a kind of fatalistic storytelling, felt both intimate and expansive. It’s the kind of music you can lose yourself in, a world apart yet somehow painfully close.
The lyric, “The origin of the world is pink,” came with a cheeky gesture that made the crowd laugh but also underscored the complexity of Sophie’s art. Nothing about Luvcat’s music is straightforward. It’s layered, coded, dripping with double meanings and contradictions. Love, sex, violence, they all swirl together, served with a sly wink and theatrical flair.
Watching Sophie command the stage with her four-man band felt like witnessing a carefully choreographed dance, every look, every gesture, every note was precise. But underneath that polish is a beating heart of vulnerability and truth. This is music about messy feelings and dark stories, told with a sense of style and theatricality that sets them apart.
By the time the final notes of ‘Blushing’ faded, the crowd was fully caught up in the spell. Luvcat doesn’t just perform, they transport you. They create a world of gritty romance and noir glamour that feels both timeless and urgent.
If this set was any indication, Sophie and her band have a long road ahead, and I’m keen to follow every step. Luvcat is more than just a band; it’s an immersive experience, a piece of theatre for the modern underground, and a name you won’t forget any time soon.
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