On Wednesday night, Bristol’s Thekla hosted a night of riotous dance-punk courtesy of Leeds sextet Adult DVD.
The group developed rapidly from humble digital pen pal origins when, during COVID lockdowns, Harry Hanson and Greg Lonsdale would share songwriting efforts with each other online. A mere four years after uploading a debut single on Bandcamp, the current lineup performed at Glastonbury in 2025.
Now in 2026, Adult DVD arrive in Bristol as part of a UK/EU tour to promote their brilliant self-titled debut record which was released on 26 September. That’s not to say the lads haven’t put in a big shift to earn this dizzying career high point. They have toured tirelessly to cultivate a reputation as one of the UK’s most exhilarating live acts.
After climbing aboard the venue, the first thing that struck me was the abundance of kit on the stage. Lonsdale, Jake Williams and Danny Blackburn all man their own synthesiser setup, with Blackburn also manning the guitar. Jonathan Newell sits behind the drums and George Manson assumes the bass playing duties. It leaves lead singer, Hanson, with very little room for manoeuvre. But, as I soon discovered, the frontman could probably stir up a rave in a phone box.
As Thekla’s sound system pumps out ‘This Is The Day’ by legendary post-punk outfit The The, the group saunter onstage to rapturous cheers from the expectant crowd. As Hanson later remarks, Bristol is the first sell out on their current run of shows and it is clear this cohort of the city’s inhabitants are ready for a party.
They crank into gear with ‘Do As I Please’ the opening track from the aforementioned debut album. The red racing lights that duck and dive from the behind are the only disturbance of an otherwise shadowy expanse veiling the six bodies on stage.
The track is a frenetic, but cogent, crashing together of percussion, thumping bass and bleeping, klaxon synths that mesh together in a roaring wall of energy that jolts the crowd into fitful animation.
Just like the record, ‘Coffin Dodger’ – a song about a fictitious character who exhibits such FOMO and vanity that they fret about not being alive and present at their own funeral – is next. In a live setting, the staccato, laser-like synths soundtrack a haze of cool blue lights, punctured with bright, flashing white beams. With the continued twisting and writhing of the audience, all these elements join together to create a schizophrenic atmosphere of anxious euphoria.
There is a palpable transition between how the band blends a mix of different genres. The aforementioned openers kick things off with a more guitar-led, jagged Indie rock flavour before the night culminates in an avalanche of acidy rave rock with fan favourites ‘Do Something’ and ‘Bill Murray’.
A particularly fun and clever part of Hanson and Lonsdale’s sketch comedy approach to songwriting is the fascinating characters they conjure as the subjects of their whacky storyteling.
For example, ‘Cowboy on Aisle Three’ is about, well, a wrangler in an incongruous setting, and so bewildered by the farce of the weekly shop that he causes all sorts of commotion for his fellow shoppers. The brash, thumping percussion and bleepy, sizzling synths crack you right between the eyes with the heft of a tin of Heinz baked beans (the big one).
Hanson emits an understated confidence as he skulks across the tiny space that is not populated with equipment. Nowt flashy, just skill, verve and the savvy intuition of a maturing live performer.
Blood already pumping vigorously through the sweaty bodies of the crowd, things ratchet up into high gear when ‘All I Need’ hits: A song that feels claustrophobic and dense throughout. The chorus rips through the huddled mass like a pulsing steel cannonball ricocheting off the walls with defiance.
Hanson glibly opines: “I think we’re all warmed up now”, before throwing down the gauntlet, “but there’s always room for improvement”. During the final trio of tracks some determined fans are held aloft while they spasmodically throw their arms in the air in triumph. After all, crowdsurfing is a rare feat to be accomplished at this particular venue. But it’s fitting testament to a band operating at the top of their game and on a journey that will only take them higher. Next time they play Bristol it will be a considerably larger venue.
Dan Adshead
