REVIEW: SOAP arrive in full at Camden Assembly

It’s a big and brash start to a landmark SOAP show at Camden Assembly on Wednesday night as they launch into latest single ‘Let’s Start a Cult’.

An anthemic opening to an hour of non-stop new music, Ryan, Josh, Cooper and Noah arrive on stage with a swagger. Their eighth single of 2024 is arguably their best and the rallying call for followers reaches new heights in a live show.

Billed as a ‘one night only’ headline, the stop off in Camden marks the full birth of SOAP. Previously known as The Tyne, the band changed names having supported Busted on an arena tour last year and that’s come with a confident new sound in the past few months’ flurry of releases.

The band only squeeze in two tracks released before November’s name change in a night fully committed to what’s come since the arrival of SOAP – but it all comes with a confidence that makes it clear the group have been gigging together for years.

A whiplash transition into ‘Modern Heartache’ is just one moment to evidence that and the four-piece glow with a well-oiled chemistry throughout the night.

‘Happy Alone’ is a track written with that Busted arena tour in mind and bounces off the walls of the intimate Camden Assembly with its noughties-esque chorus. Meanwhile, ‘Get Out Of My House’ is delivered with a clunky but charming TikTok dance – Strictly Come Dancing will no doubt be calling.

The set is punctuated with unreleased material. ‘Funeral’ is mashed-up with a rendition of My Chemical Romance’s ‘Teenagers’ in the middle.

The pick from the SOAP vault comes in a track that we’ll call ‘Awkward Now’. Introduced as a ‘pub song’ it’s a curveball flick but the kind destined to take off with a chorus that Camden has learnt by the final time around.

SOAP shift it up a gear as the night comes to an end with viral ABBA cover ‘SOS’. That hit has pulled in millions of streams online and comes to life with a raucous reception.

Closing on ‘Bad Mood’, the last song of ‘The Tyne’ chapter, it’s another impressive effort from SOAP – a welcome full arrival of the group’s new era.

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