Hucknall band Cucamaras conclude most successful year so far with superb Rescue Rooms gig

Hucknall band Cucamaras thrilled around 300 fans as they headlined at Rescue Rooms in Nottingham city centre on Thursday night (17 November).

It was their final gig of what has been an incredibly busy year, their most successful to date.

The band which consists of co-frontmen and guitarists Josh Hart and Olly Bowley, drummer Joe Newton, and bassist Dan McGrath, took to the stage at a venue they had been to several times in their younger years to watch other bands play. Back then they had only dreamed of one day being able to headline there but on Thursday night they seized the opportunity to make that dream a reality.

Speaking exclusively to Hucknall Nub News, shortly after the performance finished, Mr Hart said: "It was great. There isn't any other place where we would rather have done the last gig of the year it had to be Nottingham, it just felt right."

The quartet produced an energetic and dynamic set which showcased the best of their edgy modern indie style.

They had to contend with a couple of technical issues at the start which were not their fault but they showed their experience and maturity to ride it out, remain focused and deliver a captivating performance.

As is often the case, the crowd got more involved as the set progressed and Cucamaras fed off this and were well into their groove during the final four or five songs.

Their hit 'Safe Bet' which was played on a mainstream Belgian radio station earlier this year, was a particular highlight as was their arguably most famous song 'Winners Chapel' which was the penultimate song.

Asked his thoughts on the band's performance Josh added: "It felt good. You can't quite compute it until you've had a couple of weeks to think, that was a bit mad.

"All you can think about on stage is sadly the imperfections. Part of it is choreographing the crowd.

"On stage you're not thinking wow I'm doing this. You're aiming to play a good set and that's all you're thinking about. But a week after I might go that was great."

"I remember watching (gigs at Rescue Rooms) and being a bit like imagine playing venues like this being a small band and getting a support slot like that and that's how we did it. We supported bands here first; we've done a couple of support slots here, and then you have to kind of earn your stripes and come back and headline it."

After a hectic year which began at Rescue Rooms in late January with a place in the Beat the Streets festival line-up and included signing to a record label and getting an agent, the band will enjoy a month off during December.

"It's been a crazy year. We've got December off and I'm really glad because it's going to be nice to let the dust settle a little bit."

One of their highlights of the year came last month when they supported The Amazons at Rock City. They played to a crowd of roughly 1800 people, their biggest show to date.

The chance to support the Berkshire band who have had three consecutive top 10s in the UK album chart came about because they were hand-picked by the band from a shortlist of Nottingham artists given to them by BBC Introducing.

Of the experience, Josh said: "It was one of my favourite gigs I've ever done. Playing Rock City to a full crowd is like a dream. It's a cultural venue.

"They're absolute legends I can't speak highly enough of them really. They were giving us really great advice, and I think moments like that are really invaluable, those conversations are amazing. It was great; a really good night."

The band look set for an even busier year in 2023 with more gigs planned in the UK, across Europe and potentially even further afield as well as an EP which has already been written and recorded, set to be released in late spring.

For more information about Cucamaras or for the latest gig dates, click here.