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Vona Vella

Aug 14, 2025 By Gemma Cockrell Photography by Gemma Cockrell Web Exclusive

The Grove was already sweltering on the second hottest day of the year, the kind of heat that clings to you like an extra layer of clothing, when Modern Coven stepped onto the stage. Their set unfolded like the slow unfurling of twilight - intimate, 70s-tinged songwriting draped in quietly spellbinding harmonies.

With a decade of songwriting behind them, they reached into the past for pieces from their early twenties and placed them alongside newer offerings; “Happens” and “The Beast” stood out as highlights at the end of the set. At times their sound drifted into the dusky haze of Mazzy Star, the immersive dreamscapes of Beach House and the gauzy, romantic pull of Night Swimming. It was the kind of music that didn’t demand your attention but drew it in naturally.

JMAES followed, breaking the stillness with wry, James Acaster-esque quips (most of them related to the heat) before launching into a set brimming with scrappy, literate charm. Balancing humour and heartache in equal measure, he delivered songs like “Oh, To Be Young” and “Like A Girl I’ve Seen On The Movie Screen” with warmth and wit. Backed by a band featuring the drummer from Nottingham’s Drury Hill, his music carried the ragged edges of TV Personalities and Swell Maps, every unpolished corner adding to its lived-in honesty.

By the time Vona Vella - Izzy Davis, Dan Cunningham, Jake Bott, Claud J Melton and Dexter Howell - walked on, the air was dense with anticipation. Family members crowded the front row, a cheer went up for the youngest fan in the room and a birthday shoutout went to someone whose big day wasn’t until November. From the opening notes of “Carnival” - the title track from their forthcoming second album, already infamous for its accidental leak on streaming services a few months ago - the audience was locked in.

They moved with ease through a shimmering rendition of “Over and Over” (their most recent single) and “Beartrap”, captured live on camera for a future music video. There was space, too, for older favourites - if you can call them that, given the band’s current incarnation has only existed for five years. “Roll Into Forever”, inspired by a poem that Pete Doherty wrote for the band, arrived with a sly introduction from Davis: “And then he claimed 20%… but fair enough, we’re signed to his label.” “Thought We Were Falling in Love” had the crowd dancing and singing along to every word, proving why it’s their most popular song, while the encore, “Bottled”, left the venue buzzing for February 2026, when their new album will finally land.

Davis radiated confidence throughout the set - her easy humour between songs melting the barrier between performer and audience, her vocals on “Bass Driver” and “You Can Be So Ugly” laced with playful defiance. Alongside her bandmates, she sparked a chemistry that felt magnetic and unforced, with flickers of Catatonia, The Magic Numbers and The Wannadies woven into their arrangements. “That was fucking epic,” someone shouted midway through the set and judging by the sea of beaming faces, no one disagreed. Between each band, Dom Gourlay’s DJ selections stitched together decades of influence, transforming the evening into something more than a gig - it was more like a shared celebration of Vona Vella and the journey they’ve taken.

The Grove’s community spirit, fuelled by the fact it’s part-owned by Davis and Cunningham, gave the night a rare intimacy, and while it’s likely they’ll return to the venue at some point given their involvement in the management of it, the days of seeing them perform in spaces this small and personal already feel numbered.

For now, their ‘Vona Vella Presents…’ nights will continue - seeing them curate stages for some of their favourite artists and most exciting new discoveries, keeping their bond with this place and its community well and truly alive.