Shooting Our Mouths Off

The band first played Brazil in 2012, performing at Cine Joia in downtown São  Paulo. On this tour, they’ve made two stops there: first at Ópera de Arame in Curitiba, Paraná, and then at Audio, a renowned live music venue in São Paulo’s Água Branca neighbourhood on Avenida Francisco Matarazzo.

Representing the more contemporary, big‑venue side of São  Paulo’s live‑music infrastructure, Audio hosts concerts across a wide range of genres and can accommodate around 3000 people, with a mix of standing-floor and mezzanine areas.

The band kicked off with a triple punch of hits – ‘She’s a Star’, ‘Waltzing Along’, and ‘Say Something’ – before slowing the pace with ‘Way Over Your Head‘. A standout from Yummy and part of the upcoming Nothing But Love: The Definitive Collection, the song has firmly established itself as a fan favourite this year, with crowds especially coming together for its singalong outro. Crowds were also treated to ‘Shadow of a Giant’ and ‘Stay’ from the number one album.

‘Attention’ made its debut on the band’s Latin American tour, pairing seamlessly with ‘Five-O’ – two tracks that take listeners on a sonic journey. Opening with Mark’s delicate piano before evolving into layers of electronic wizardry, ‘Attention’ perfectly showcases the band’s evolution since their formation. Though equally atmospheric, ‘Five-O’ offers a distinctly different sound, highlighting another side of their musical range. Keeping fans on their toes with its shifting tempo, the track is one of the band’s best showcases for Saul’s violin skills – and in its current live version, he shreds from the very first note. A song’s story doesn’t end on paper, and James demonstrate that in their live performances.

Later in the set, ‘PS‘ and ‘Out to Get You‘ were performed consecutively, creating another beautifully complimentary duo. Played nightly on the North American tour, both have been enhanced by the band’s improvisational approach this year. ‘PS’ builds from a gentle guitar and drum intro into a showcase for Adrian’s guitar and Saul’s violin, while ‘Out to Get You’, one of the band’s most emotionally resonant tracks, has been heightened by a captivating violin and bass exchange between Saul and Jim.

One of the most prominent tracks at this year’s shows, the pounding ‘Heads’ returned after not being played in Curitiba. It was followed by ‘Beautiful Beaches’ and then ‘Sit Down’, which received an enormous reaction and a singalong from the crowd. The main set concluded with ‘Tomorrow’, and despite the previous high, its live version – anchored by acoustic guitar and layered with extra harmonies from Tim – exceeded expectations. Rounding out the evening, the encore featured ‘Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)‘ and ‘Laid‘, delivering a final burst of energy.