It’s not often you go to a rock show and most of the venue is made up of comfy eclectic couches, but the Paisley Stage is just that.

Hoping to get people off the couches and warmed up for Curlys Jewels are Palmy band Bad Schematics and they have an extra long set prepared. Their first song Rescue Me starts off slow which is surprisingly refreshing compared to the usual hard hitting first song of most setlists, with some good drums and guitars. But soon the song speeds up and lead singer Caleb is screaming the lyrics.

Next up is Paralysed which has a great instrumental breakdown. There is a backing track playing vocals at times, and Caleb jumps around the stage and screams impressively. With a lot of people still on couches Caleb calls for people to come closer and a few respond.

Time for a new song now, We Should Be Better Strangers, and we are told this one is about a break up and the feeling of "thank fuck that’s over". As it starts I am taken back to my 2000’s emo days as Caleb’s voice perfectly executes that signature nasally sound that emo bands are known for. This is a fun song and if you’ve ever had a relationship you regret, it has the relatable lyrics of "Clap your hands, I want to go back to where it began, so I’d know not to give you my heart, you’d throw it away".

Bad Schematics have a few songs that include audience involvement and the first one of their set is WAW2WMT (What a way to waste my time). We are asked to sing back "ba da ba ba ba da da" which is fun and the people on the couches around me shout it out. Caleb jumps down from the stage at one point and gets the audience directly in front of the stage to sing their part into the microphone, which they enthusiastically do.

Another crowd sing-along and one of my faves to hear live is Happy Apathy. The chorus goes "I can’t hear you, white noise inside my mind, I drown my problems in Happy Apathy" and we are instructed to help by shouting along with the words "happy apathy". This song is upbeat, fun, good to dance to and so darn catchy it is still in my head a day later. It has some sweet guitar from Tane and Bass from Caitlin, not to mention some epic drumming from DJB. Caleb also raps near the end of the song which is awesome.

Keeping the fun rock vibes going are songs Pilots or Passengers and Behind My Eyes.

Confirming the emo vibes Caleb dedicates the song All To Blame to all the emos out there. For the last time the audience is asked to chant along, this time shouting "all the same, all to blame" during the chorus.

Time for the final song and it is a really bouncy, fun, fast song called Cry Yourself Awake. The crowd and the band are all jumping along. At one point Caleb gets some people up front to crouch down with him, and then bring it up slowly before everyone goes crazy!

It was a great 12 songs and whilst Bad Schematics didn’t manage to lure many people up front from their couches (honestly, they are super comfy), they did have people rocking out in their seats and engaging well with the sing-a-long parts of their set, and in doing so have successfully warmed everyone up for Curlys Jewels.

Starting with their song Fancy, Curlys Jewels get straight into the hard hitting 20 second intro with Jel bouncing on stage just in time to start singing. A bigger crowd starts to form as the energy from the band is too good to resist even if you have a cozy seat.

Latest single Deluded which was released last month is met with screams and dancing as Jel sings about being deluded and making mistakes, and "does anybody ever see the real me anyway". Filled with epic guitars we are all happily rocking out and excited for more.

A quick introduction and cheeky merch and Spotify plug from Jel before fast paced and fun song Sneaky begins. Jel brings out a foldable hand fan and after fanning herself she fans the people in front of the stage, much to their delight as it is hot in here!

Next up is Liberate which is my personal fave (I have a tattoo of it), and a treat as it is one that is rarely played due to Jel no longer playing the guitar live and its huge vocals.

Now it’s time to play power ballad Absentee which Jel describes as a ‘sway’ song. The crowd does indeed sway as Jel's amazing vocals are on display.

Jel loves to dance around hilariously like nobody’s watching and encourages the audience to join in. As No Relief starts the audience accepts this challenge and start dancing along, with Caitlin from Bad Schematics nailing the daggy dancing up front.

Terror In Disguise is an oldie but a goodie and it’s always nice to hear a band’s old songs. Featuring epic guitars and some amazing high notes from Jel the whole venue is rocking along to this hard hitting classic.

Jel announces that she always forgets to give the song name for context, but that this song is called Ducks. People who have been to a Curlys gig in the past year since their album release are prepared (one even has a sign that says ‘duck’ in the hopes of getting one) and everyone else is confused and delighted as Jel heads into the audience while singing and hands out assorted rubber ducks to people before heading back onstage. For the rest of the song the audience is enthusiastically waving their ducks along. The joy that this brings grown adults is brilliant to watch.

Some adoring fans reach out towards Jel on stage during Blinders and Jel reaches out to them as well. She is one wahine who thrives on audience interaction and it shows as she performs. Blinders is an absolutely huge, hearty song, even more so live, and the crowd is going insane rocking out to this banger. The band are clearly enjoying themselves as well and it makes for a truly amazing experience.

Frantic is Curlys Jewels final song and Jel walks off stage and sits on a couch next to a fan to sing the start of it. She then walks through the crowd singing before making her way back up onto the stage. There are some impressive long ass notes from Jel in Frantic and she gives it her all. Andy and Aaron are killing it on the guitars in this hardcore rock hit and Corey is smashing the drums!! It’s not only Jel who can work the audience as Aaron puts his guitar out for people to touch and strum, including Caleb from Bad Schematics who pretends to play it with his tongue! The rockstar vibes are strong in this one!. I've heard this song live at least 30 times and that's the best and most passionate I've ever seen it played!

The song finishes and the crowd yells encore, but alas, after this already longer than normal set the band can do no more. This is no doubt one of the best shows I have seen Curlys Jewels perform, (I will admit a bias as both a fan and good friend of the band) and talking with many other people afterwards they all agreed! When it comes to stage presence, crowd engagement, and a kick ass show you will remember Curlys Jewels really can’t be beat!

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