Scouting For Girls @ Shepherds Bush Empire, London.

Gabii
Dec 4, 2015
2 min read

Scouting For Girls, a three piece pop rock band from London, consisting of members, Roy Stride (piano & lead guitar/vocals), Greg Churchouse (bass guitar) & Peter Ellard (percussion). They have been friends since childhood, and the band formed in 2005. Two years later, they were signed to Epic Records and released their self-titled album in September. It reached number one and went triple platinum in total sales. Since then they have had an array of hits and albums, whilst also touring excessively.

Scouting For Girls was one of those bands I adored in my early teens. 'She's So Lovely' & 'It's Not About You' were two of my favourites. However, in the past couple of years I haven't really heard anything of them. Whether this is because they have been overshadowed by more current, mainstream artists or maybe I've just completely missed out on all things SFG. Anyway, when the opportunity appeared for me and a friend to go and see them, we jumped at the chance!

As we walked into the venue, there was already someone on the stage. A man and his guitar, Frank Hamilton! He had great stage presence and charisma, and one particular song stuck out called 'Tiny Chemicals'. It was really catchy and I love the chorus. The only downside to his performance was that his name wasn't displayed anywhere, so people, like us, who came in late, had no idea who he was.

The next support act, Mike Dignam, took the stage. For those who know me, you'll know that I have been supporting Mike for nearly 3 years now and I adore his music. He was the reason why we had tickets in the first place, and I am forever grateful for everything he has done for me! His normal style is acoustic so when he walked out without his trusty acoustic guitar I was really surprised! He did some old songs, including 'Relentless', which is a personal favourite, and he also did some songs off his new album, 'Fight To Forgive'. I was really impressed on how incredible his new songs sounded and the twist he out on some of his old ones.

Scouting For Girls came on, and honestly I wasn't sure what to expect. However, I was pleasantly surprised! They did a range of songs, from golden oldie's like 'Elvis Isn't Dead', to some songs off the new album, 'Still Thinking About You'. The crowd was amazing. They were singing along to every song, and it was obvious everyone was having a great time. It was one of the first crowds where I hardly saw anyone younger than myself, and where there were a lot of male fans. It's a nice change from all the screaming teens... although I know I was one!

Roy Stride's vocals are insane! They did a cover of Bon Jovi's 'Livin' On A Prayer' and it was incredible. Not only were the crowd loving it, but so were Scouting For Girls.