Love Music, Hate Racism? You’ll like The Common.

The Common

Love Music, Hate Racism is a music collective that aims to foster unity through music by hosting events to raise funds for anti-racism education sessions, protests, and future gigs.

Recently, students at the University of Portsmouth set up a free gig at The Guildhall Village.

At first, the atmosphere was typical of people who’d just spent a day studying. However, the scene soon changed after a young group of four lit up the stage. Wearing the notorious Gallagher glasses and an Oasis-esque presence, they weren’t exactly what was on the tin, but by God they were close.

The Common (post-glasses)

The Common are a local indie band featuring 4 friends, mainly covering and producing Brit-Pop/Indie tunes.

What’s particularly refreshing about this band is the fact that they have a female bassist. In a genre dominated by men, it is rare to see a young woman in this position. Many people may say this is ‘tokenism’, but it wasn’t. If you’d told me she was born ripping cords, then I would believe you; not a single note was out of place.

This is a group with real potential; they have a, seemingly, natural ability to take inspiration from notorious bands and put their own spin on them. This was particularly evident in their performance of ‘Forgetting Where We Are’. The song itself features a fast-paced indie/punk sound reminiscent of Sam Fender. The slow, but rewarding, build-up in this song was indicitive of the 2000s Brit-pop sound, which they further perpetuated through their fashion.

The band’s inspiration is evident in their choice of cover songs, featuring classics such as ‘Do Me a Favour’ by the Arctic Monkeys. Their performance of ‘Pacifier’ by Catfish and the Bottlemen was a highlight of the night. It’s a familiar tune, and as such, hard to pull off. That gamble worked out for the best, and before the end of the song, I was surrounded by a sea of dancing students.

Overall, I can honestly say that this gig was better than most paid-for concerts. Not only was it free for us, but the bands played for free as well. couldn’t recommend LMHR gigs enough if you are looking for good music and good people.