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Nov 26, 2024 By Dom Gourlay Photography by Stephanie Webb Web Exclusive

Let’s talk about Confidence Man, but before we do, rewind the clock back to December 2016. Before the annual Christmas night out with a couple of friends in Sheffield, one of them played this song called “Boyfriend (Repeat)” which blew our tiny little minds before any beers were sunk that day. The artists responsible for that tune were a Brisbane outfit called Confidence Man and they’d just signed to Heavenly Recordings.

They didn’t come to the UK until the following summer and our little collective of gig going friends took every opportunity we could to go and see them. My wife’s (then wife to be) first time seeing them in Manchester that year was “proper life changing!”! I even got to play a DJ set before their show at Nottingham Rescue Rooms in the summer of 2019 although I’m not sure what they thought of having to follow a mix of Manic Street Preachers b-sides (spot the Heavenly connection!), acid house and rave classics but they sent us a nice video message the day before our wedding all the same!

Fast forward to tonight via the Green Door Store and Brighton Pier (The Great Escape 2017 for those that remember), Stealth (Dot To Dot Festival the following weekend), numerous other festivals, three albums and countless bangers later. It was an absolute pleasure to see them pack Rock City and turn it into a joyous rave.

Enjoying the show with friends who’ve been there right from the start and some seeing them for the very first time tonight. There aren’t many bands that do perfect pop but Confidence Man are one of them, and they didn’t even play “Boyfriend” this evening.

Instead, what we did get across their sixteen-songs set was a collection of wall-to-wall bangers mostly taken from this year’s excellent third long player 3AM (LA LA LA) including the title track for a well deserved and rapturously received encore.

Prior to that, the band - focal points Janet Planet and Sugar Bones on vocal and high energetic dance routines out front, and the veiled Clarence McGuffie and Reggie Goodchild on percussion, beats and samples at the back- delivered what can only be described as a masterclass in perfectly orchestrated pop with its eyes firmly fixated on clubland.

Songs from 2022’s second album Tilt like “Does It Make You Feel Good?” and “Toy Boy” flirt mercilessly with newer compositions such as “Control” and “Sicko” while there’s even a nod to their 2018 debut Confident Music For Confident People by way of a delirious run through the anthemic “C.O.O.L. P.A.R.T.Y.”

In the middle of all that, there’s a number of costume changes and an ever-changing sea of visuals projected behind them making this a spectacular event rather than just your bog standard gig.

It’s been quite a rise for Confidence Man over the past eight years but one that shows no sign of subsiding just yet.

Also, let’s not overlook the opening act Fcukers either, who might just be the next Confidence Man in waiting.

The New York based trio might only have been around for a couple of years but their dance-infused take on all things (indie) rock and pop looks set to be one of the sounds of 2025, and in certified bangers like “Bon Bon” and “Homie Don’t Shake” Fcukers possess a cavalcade of instant floor fillers.

Nevertheless, tonight was all about Confidence Man. Their live show easily ranks as one of the finest on the planet right now. Arenas beckon, and deservedly so.

(All photography by Stephanie Webb. Visit her official website for more images)