O2 Academy Oxford (Oxford, England)
01/19/23
Tonight’s show from Holding Absence is one of many in a long run of U.K. dates for the band, playing unlikely venues for a regular touring circuit. When announcing this tour, the band stated, “Our band’s roots were initially planted by playing in grassroots venues far and wide across the U.K.” Playing these more intimate venues was met by a promise to delve into earlier tracks in their discography that had been neglected for some time, as well as newer material that hasn’t been debuted live just yet.
With the unique approach to this run of dates, it’s no surprise that each show has been met with Holding Absence’s hugely loyal fanbase, with the majority of the dates being sold out in these venues averaging at 400 capacity. From the first swell of set opener “Monochrome,” the crowd sang louder than vocalist Lucas Woodland, and continued to do so for most of the night. The set ricochets from old to new. Most notably from one of the very first Holding Absence tracks, 2017’s “Penance” – a song about lost purpose, negative outlooks and the darker side of human experience. Lucas introduces the song by saying, “I can’t believe I wrote these lyrics,” adding to the cathartic nature of hundreds of people screaming, “It’s a shame that I ever ever lived,” in one verse, to yelling, “It’s hard to say out loud, I deserve to be happy now,” in another. After “Penance” closes, the band walk off stage, returning in ambience before new single “Coffin” rings in acapella. It’s a fitting way to reintroduce the band for their encore, having ended on that sense of doom from earlier lyrical content, to their newest efforts searching for purpose more optimistically.
The entire band performed with a level of controlled finesse. Ashley Green hammers his floor toms to provide the backbone, with Lucas executing his staple high-kicks in synchronicity. The energy never pauses for the whole set; Holding Absence looks their audience in the eyes as intimate words are sung, as though the crowd has been invited to see a private confession, but they all have the same woes to admit.
Tonight’s performance is textbook Holding Absence: unimaginably flawless vocals, outstanding musicianship, and a consistently embracing crowd. Holding Absence are future festival headliners.
