START-TRACK AT SHOW: Milkstone + tall child @ The Sebright Arms – July 30, 2025

It’s a balmy Wednesday night in East London, and it’s my first time at the Sebright Arms. Despite being a London gig-goer for over 20 years, I’ve never made it here. I’ve heard it mentioned and seen it advertised countless times, and I recognise that it’s absolutely synonymous with the London indie scene, so the fact that our paths have not crossed before now is frankly astounding.

Today I’m here, under the very low ceiling and peeling jet black paint, to see tall child supported by Milkstone.

The night begins with a harmonica solo. It happens without announcement or fanfare, and so people are caught off guard. But the chattering, inattentive crowd is brought to an immediate standstill. An instant hush comes over the room when the song – aptly entitled Harmonica Song – starts. The harmonica gives way to Philadelphian Cosette Gobat’s entirely enchanting gargantuan a cappella folk vocal, and the room is suddenly under their spell… “How can I get over this? How can I get over this?” they sing whilst initially channelling the delicacy of Natasha Khan and eventually harnessing the sheer power of Florence Welch. “How can I go on like this?” they bellow as the audience stands stock still and collectively holds its breath.

The song ends to a round of applause as Cosette adorns their guitar and adds a reverby ocean of sound to accompany their dreamy, breathtaking vocals (fun fact: after writing this sentence, I found out that this song was called Ocean, what are the odds?!) They oscillate again between tentatively tender and gigantic and grandiose – their dynamic range reminds us of Bjork, and their delivery is as theatrical as their aesthetic (think punk meets Rocky Horror meets Alice Cooper).

For Swim, an additional band member (Elliott, on bass) is invited onto the stage. We’re told additional band members will be introduced throughout the set, which is an approach we have never seen before and ingenuity that we deeply appreciate. The song in question starts subtly and reminds us of the dulcet tones of Daughter, before getting slightly more abrasive but never really deviating too much from the methodical core of the song.

The next tune is “completely improvised” and includes a newly introduced drummer. Starting off sounding like Duluth slowcore legends Low, with a dreamlike, hazy pace, it builds into an anthemic maelstrom of noise, Cosette’s powerhouse vocals and crunchy guitar, Elliott’s booming bass and the steady, newly introduced percussion combine to make a formidable wall of sound.

The next song – All Alone Again – sounds how it might sound if Bartees Strange ever covered Dolly Parton. It starts with an infectious bass-led groove that is hypnotic and compelling. The drummer, whose name we learn is Ivi, comes into her own halfway through the track, changing up her patterns to take the song to higher plains. The vocal is the highlight, and it is as fantastic as it’s been since the start of the evening. By the end of the track, the tune feels almost alt-funky. Like something Blur could’ve come up with in their most experimental period (Think Tank, anyone?)

Graveyard begins after a lengthy delay for simultaneous tuning and banter. After a brief history lesson on the origins of the name of the pub and its mermaid-based mythology (don’t ask), the song starts, and when it kicks in, it’s worth the wait. It feels like an amalgamation of the slacker/garage/indie subgenres, and it works beautifully. Think The Shins meets Pavement meets Surfer Blood. Again, the rhythm section shines, and the vocals are exceptional. It must also be said that the guitar playing is managed excellently throughout, despite the mental commitment that the amazing vocal performance must require.

The next song is called Mother Mary and it’s about uncovering the singer’s Palestinian history. The song has an ethereal, otherworldly quality, and it feels like there is an ebow at play or keys being used. But none are visible. What is this witchcraft? The song is a compelling lament and, in keeping with the rest of the set so far, is delivered with gusto and conviction. It builds slowly, picking up pace gradually with the bass joining in after an extended intro. When it does, the song is sludgey and almost stonery or doom-esque, and it’s a nice departure stylistically.

The last song – Shank – is a “dancey dancey one”. After another unfortunate tuning/chat delay (you need a roadie and/or a second guitar, Milkstone!), the song begins, and again, the wait is forgotten about. This one starts off feeling rather post-punk-like and veers into new wave territory by the chorus. It’s a high-energy outro to what has been a very impressive set. Tall child have a tough act to follow.

The room has filled up noticeably in the space between the first set and the next, and as tall child takes the stage, there’s a palpable celebratory feeling in the air. This is an EP launch after all!

The culmination of a year and a half of work, Somehow You Grow has finally made it out into the wild.

The first song played here tonight is Stupid Body, the song that introduced us to the band. Lead singer Zha Gandhi is resplendent and magnetic under the minimal multicoloured lights, and the band sounds tight as fuck. The rhythm and lead guitars work together perfectly, and the rhythm section is in fantastic form. The cherry on top is Rhys on the lap steel, who skulks off the stage unceremoniously after the first song concludes. Shame. But we’re told he’ll be back later. Good good.

The second song is the elderly single Damaged. After the cacophonous energy of the first song, this takes the tempo down considerably. It’s methodical and pensive. Zha informs us it’s about “Daddy issues,” and as they sing “I’m nothing like you,” the pensiveness is infectious, and we begin to ponder and reflect. Zha’s vocals are glorious throughout the track (and ably complemented in parts by the bass player George), which feels at the same time both sweet and sour.

The next tune is a new one called Luck. For this track, Zha plays a synthesiser, and the additional element adds more than you might think. Beginning with a lullaby-like twinkly part and building to a full-on indie rock anthem, with additional backing vocals from aforementioned bassist George and rhythm guitarist Maeve adding further depth to the arrangement.

This is followed by Oh Well, That’s Life. – an upbeat punky number that was another single that preceded the Somehow You Grow EP and is also included as part of it. They do a quick couple of run-throughs of the chorus that we are forewarned will require audience participation. The audience is asked to join in on the call-and-response chorus vocals, and they dutifully oblige. Pretty damn well, actually, it must be said. Some even incorporate dance routines and hand gestures. If you’re gonna do it, do it right, right? Away from the sideshow of the audience, the band still sound absolutely fantastic and very well-rehearsed. This track is a feel-good, Hakuna Matata-type tune (LOL) of the highest order.

The next tune is a new song accompanied by a novel crowd photography project. Zha distributes a disposable camera into the crowd and encourages the audience to take photos of whatever they want, to document tonight for purposes of posterity. It’s a nice touch, and we look forward to seeing the predictably patchy resulting photos. They also take the opportunity to run through band introductions in the intro to the song. Fellow Sad Club Records artist Luce Rushton is on the drums (their first show as a drummer for tall child), and the addition of lead guitarist Osian rounds out the members of the band. The new song is entitled Money’s What It’s All About and it’s about, amongst other things, Zha’s lizard requiring an MRI (“she had tail rot apparently, but she’s OK now. She was faking it!”). On this song, they lament the modern cost of living in an upbeat, jovial and eminently catchy way. “I’ve got £20 left for the month, what am I gonna do?” – how very relatable. Songs like this help a bit.

Zha gives a shout-out to their stylist/partner before launching into another recent single, All Or Nothing, which takes on an altogether dreamy quality tonight. Zha once again makes good use of the additional dimension provided by the synth on this track. The song feels hazy, wavy and vibey – as we believe the kids say. Again, the pairing of Maeve and George on backing vocals works wonderfully and complements Zha excellently.

The next song is one of the newly released ones from the EP, for Orange Maeve (who is also part of the wonderful East London-based riot grrrl band Ghost Car, by the way) swaps her electric guitar for an acoustic one. With its introspective, observational tone, the song has an undeniable Arlo Parks vibe, and the sentimentality matches anything we’ve heard from her. It’s extremely charming in its almost-medieval-folk-sounding musicality. There’s that Ebow sound again two-thirds of the way through. We don’t know how it’s happening, but it sounds great. Again, witchcraft.

Soon I’ll Stop Waiting is up next and is a solo piece with Zha accompanied by their synthesiser and nothing more. It’s “probably the saddest song I’ve ever written”, they tell us, and they apologise in advance for making us cry. While it doesn’t quite come to that, the song is undeniably moving in its heart-on-sleeve earnestness. Zha’s vocal is allowed to take centre stage and it feels larger than it has all evening, despite definitely not being pushed in the same way that it was on, say, All Or Nothing. Their hypnotic and engaging quality as a frontperson comes right to the fore on this one. Presumably because they’re unaccompanied, they command your attention with their charisma and charm in a way that is not commonly seen. “I’m still waiting for you to change, soon I’ll stop waiting for you to change,” they sing as the song concludes, and we feel every word.

The next song is the last and is the title track from the EP – Somehow You Grow. Rhys is reintroduced on the lap steel, and Maeve remains on acoustic. This combination, with Zha’s synth taking on an almost violin-like voice, elicits thoughts and feelings of alt-folk/country-tinged ballads of yesteryear. “You’re stronger than you’ll ever know”, Zha sings as the chorus kicks in and the song reaches its apex before gently levelling out for another verse. We go round again, and the instrumentation is syrupy smooth, and when the chorus comes back around, it feels similar to the celebratory tone at the beginning of the set. It’s a song about trials, tribulations and ultimately, triumph, and that’s what tonight is all about. “What a beautiful mess you are,” Zha sings towards the end of the track as their vocals soar and the band eventually explodes. They are met with rapturous applause as their set concludes, and it feels like a fitting end.

However, it’s not the end at all (aha!) – the age-old encore routine is impeccably – and somewhat genuinely – employed, and we’re treated to one more song (after demanding chants of “One more song! One more song!”). This turns out to be a cover of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. A crowd pleaser if there ever was one. Maeve moves over to the keys, and Rhys is wasted on the shaker, but the crowd love it regardless. It’s a great way to end what has been a really lovely evening. We must do it again sometime!