The Lottery Winners 'Keep On Keeping On' Tour

The Lottery Winners:

After a stellar show supporting Frank Turner at his show 3000 on Saturday, It was time for the Lottery Winners to become the headliners with a spellbinding Sunday night set Shepherd's Bush Empire. The show was part of the band's Keep On Keeping On tour, the expansion name of upcoming album KOKO (Scheduled Release 21st March). Given the group won SBTM Live Artist of the Year for 2024, and the new songs released from the upcoming album feature some of their best to date, my anticipation for this show was high.

Pre-Gig Hangout:

On every show this tour The Lottery Winners have been hosting 'Pre-Gig Hangouts', providing small groups of supporters to come into the venue early for a meet-and-greet style opportunity, before playing a short intimate acoustic set. Being a fan of the band myself, buying tickets for such an opportunity couldn't be passed at. Although the experience falls slightly out of the scope of a normal review, the acoustic gig aspect was such a uniquely brilliant occurrence it had to be mentioned.

After meeting and taking photos with everyone who came early, the band took to the stage with just an acoustic guitar, a shaker and their voices. They did so without any plans of what to play, providing the perfect platform to chaos to ensue. Lead vocalist Thom Rylance put out a call to the audience for "any requests?", to which someone replied 'Wonderwall'. Whilst to many this would pass off as a throw away joke before moving on, Thom took this as a challenge to "make sure the audience member knows what they've done", before playing the most hilariously brilliant version of the song I've ever heard. After a truly brilliant performance and sing-along of around three-quarters of the song we arrived to one of the last 'I said Maybe's, which Thom demanded drummer Joe Singleton sang, holding the same chord progression until he did. Joe, who was playing shaker at the time, refused to give in, resulting in the ultimate "stubborn-off". After 3 minutes of tense instrumentation it was eventually Joe who broke first delivering the most beautifully line.

This chaotic brilliance was followed by another speedy tongue-in-cheek cover as Thom worked his way through the first chorus of Eminem's Stan. The fourpiece then shifted towards their own material, pulling out a couple of sensational deep-cuts that were extremely well received by the early audience. A harmonious play through of 2016's 'Young Love', driven by the stunning backing vocals of guitarist Rob Lally and bassist Katie Lloyd, was followed by a stirring version of the groups 2013 single 'Elizabeth' (which would later be re-released on their 2020 self titled album). Naturally it wouldn't be a Lottery Winners show without going slightly off track in the best way, as Thom blended the song into an eventual medley of 'Last Christmas', 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody', and 'Love Machine'. This brought an end to the pre-gig hangout, which acted to build even more anticipation and excitement for the night's main event.

The Valla & The Covasettes:

It didn't take long after the doors opened for Shepherd's Bush Empire to become rammed, with the vast majority of fans heading down early to check out the night's support acts 'The Valla' & 'The Covasettes'. Much of The Lottery Winners fanfare has come from them smashing previous support slots out of the park, so it is amazing to see their audience respond to new upcoming bands in a similar way. The Valla came on first, delivering a fast-paced half hour set of indie-rock brilliance. Lead singer George Coulson had the Empire in his hands from the get-go, making sure the crowd were firmly warmed up. Whether playing older favourites like 'Ice Cream' or unreleased material like 'Middle Finger', the response from the audience was the exact same; Unadulterated love.

Every night on this tour has featured a different local act opening, followed by the tour's main support The Covasettes. The response the Manchester-based four-piece received when taking to the stage makes it feel like they are on the cusp of headlining rooms this big themselves. This rapturous reception was followed by a joyous 45-minute set showcasing The Covasettes brand of upbeat feel-good indie music. The chemistry between all four members was extremely noticeable, bouncing off one-another like it was second nature, whilst also ensuring the audience were well mixed into this fun. As good as the music was, the on-stage antics between songs made this set just as enjoyable, with one of the most memorable moments coming when the band got the audience to give a shoutout to Marks & Spencer in an attempt to get a Colin the Caterpillar brand deal (#JusticeForCuthbert!). The Covasettes are naturals on stage, and show every sign of growing into one of the most beloved bands on the scene.

The Lottery Winners Headline Set:

After all the pre-gig fun and stellar supports had finished it was time for the night's headliners The Lottery Winenrs to take to the stage. Robbie Williams' anthemic 'Let Me Entertain You' rang through the venue's speakers as the Leigh legends emerged, receiving a deserved heroes welcome. The walkout song is reference to their upcoming support slot on Robbie's summer stadium tour, something Thom would jokingly continue to name drop throughout the night. The crowd was ready to burst with energy at this point, so by the time set opener 'Superpower' kicked off, Shepherd's Bush turned into a wave of dancing and singing that could not be calmed until the last note of the night rang out. 'Superpower' was the second single released from the band's upcoming album KOKO. and yet it received just as big a response as the two of the band's biggest songs which followed. 'Worry' and '21' have become Lottery Winners classics, receiving some of the biggest receptions at every show, so it is testament to how good the four-pieces new music is that it is already held in similar regard to their past classics.

As good as the music at a Lottery Winners gig is, it is often only half the story, with the on-stage antics of the quartert (most notably lead singer Thom) also being one of the band's infectious selling points. Before '21' Thom would find himself in a joking face-off with the photography pit, pointing cameras back in their face asking how they liked before posing for them making sure they got his "good side". This sort of interaction being present from the get-go makes these nights feel so much more personal, with the personality of all four band members being so apparent. You not only get to hear incredible music, but also get to be welcomed into a wider family spearheaded by four of the most grateful and humble musicians you will find.

The setlist on the night provided a perfect mix of newer singles like 'You Again' amongst fan favourites of yester year like 'You're Not Alone', and even a cover of Robbie's 'Angels'! This meant no matter what era you got into The Lottery Winners, or even if this was your first time hearing them, there was something that could pull you in; and once you're pulled into world of The Lottery Winners, you will never want to leave. 'You're Not Alone' also sees bassist Katie take lead vocals for the chorus, one of many times across the night where different band members got to take centre stage, really reinforcing just how connected this group are. It was Rob's turn to take centre stage soon after to deliver a blistering cover of Billy Bragg's classic 'A New England', but not before Thom could become a "Temu version of Jacob Cauliflower" by directing crowd harmonies to 'Favourite Flavour' (a nod to the audience choir Jacob Collier creates).

These moments of riotous crowd responses and hilarious on stage antics create such an emotional high, which means that when the band slow things down, the moments become even more poignant. One of the bands most emotional songs to date, 'UFO', was released towards the end of last, and it's impact was never more obvious than on Sunday night. The song talks around Thom's experience of feeling like an alien throughout his life whilst battling with undiagnosed ADHD, before becoming empowered and proud upon understanding why he feels the why he does. There was not a dry eye in the house as the band worked their way through this song, including Thom himself who had to struggle through tears to perform the song, taken aback by the experience of such a personal song being sung back by so many like it was the most important song in the world; and to many it is that. As someone going through a lot of the processes Thom speaks about in the song, it was genuinely inspiring seeing him stand on stage, wear his heart on his sleeve and also see how supportive his bandmates were both throughout the song and afterwards. During moments where Thom struggled to sing Rob and Katie encouraged the crowd to sing even louder, before all four band members embraced in a group hug post-song.

After this slower emotional moment Thom was keen to pick up the energy again, blasting their way through a rousing version of 'Letter To Myself', a song that has become one of the band's biggest live anthems. A short 'Ad Break' followed as The Lottery Winners encouraged fans to purchase their new album, in what was truly one of the funniest moments I have seen on stage in a long time. Post ad-break it was time for Rob to take centre stage again, delivering his best 'Boy George' as they played their collaborative song 'Let Me Down'. This then gave way to one of the most epic concert closing duos as a huge rendition of 'Much Better' swiftly proceeded into the huge-sounding 'Start Again'. However the latter could not begin until Thom deeply thanked everyone in attendance, also giving a shoutout to those who have done so much for the band including tour manager Dave Danger, and booking agent Skully. A jokey performance of 'This Is Not A Drill' intertwined this section, a reference to a moment in Lottery Winners folklore that occurred in Guilford last year.

After 'Start Again' rang-out, there was still so much energy left in the audience. Luckily the band swiflty kicked into an encore that forced even the worst of dancers to move. Newest release 'Turn Around' has one of the most infectious choruses you will ever hear, detailing dance movements that the audience all followed in unison creating the most incredible spectacle. Support band The Covasettes also came back on stage to help guide us through this dance. Following this dancing fun that you have to assume will continue to be one of the highlights of Lottery Winners gigs for years to come, we had one last song, 'Burning House'. This has become a staple event on such a night, with the crowd rightly responding one last time with some of the night's loudest singalongs, providing a perfect ending to one of the best nights Shepherd's Bush Empire will ever see.