There’s something about Exeter Cavern on a Sunday night that feels like stepping into a parallel universe — the low ceiling, the sticky floor, the sense that anything could happen once the first chord rings out. As I walked in, the room was already humming with familiar faces from across Exeter’s alternative scene, including members of bands and DJ’s from the Exeter Phonic FM station. It felt less like a gig and more like a reunion — the kind where everyone’s older, wiser, and still clinging proudly to the DIY spirit that the Cavern has championed for 35 years.
Before the show, I’d ducked into The Turks Head for a quick drink, only to find the band and half their extended family doing the same. Matt and Lucy arrived smiling, warm, and unhurried — the kind of pre‑gig energy that tells you the night is going to be special. Lucy told me they were due on at 9pm; I joked about my Sunday bedtime, and she promised they’d start early so I could get home for “much needed beauty sleep.” That’s the kind of night it was: friendly, familiar, threaded with humour.
It is true! The spirit of Sarah Records is alive and thriving in the triagonal shape of Exeter’s Silk Cuts. Frontwardly projecting droll dispassion, the Silks cut precise jangly snacks that go down a treat - indie popcorn. All the essential themes (train stations, bus stops, the awfulness of everything) entwine in duet, Stephen-and-Aggi-Pastel-style. Good thing, good thing. Half an hour is up before it has begun, but what they say and how it sounds lingers longer. Surely their vital organs are half as glacial as they’d have us believe. Silk Cuts forever!
Pippa Wragg, ever the magnetic centre of the trio, halted one song after a single bar, laughing that she’d forgotten the bassline. It was a tiny, human moment, and the crowd embraced it. They restarted, nailed it, and carried on as if nothing had happened. That’s the Cavern: mistakes aren’t mistakes, they’re part of the story.
When Pale Blue Eyes stepped onto the stage, they looked genuinely thrilled — confident, happy and really pleased to be there. And the room gave that energy straight back. This wasn’t just another tour date; it was a homecoming of sorts. Matt said as much mid‑set: “It’s so nice to be able to play what is in reality, a homecoming show at a venue that is celebrating 35 years of putting on live music.”
What followed was a masterclass in motorik dream‑pop. The band’s sound — tight on record — becomes something else entirely in a small room.
Pale Blue Eyes storm the stage and went off like fireworks - a masterclass in motorik dream‑pop. The band’s sound, tight on record, becomes something else entirely in a small room. Their personal brand of post-punk is unique in that it sounds like it was written in space transit. Hypnotic, magnetic, tick tick tick. As far as jiving is concerned, a Future Islands-y presence and dynamism strikes me by surprise, and in turn PBE’s raygun synths and delirious soundscapes compel you to move in directions the mind is unsure the body can go. Lucy and Aubrey locked into grooves so precise they felt gravitational, freeing Matt to dance, twist, and coax cosmic textures from a pedalboard that looked like it had been borrowed from Back to the Future DeLorean (thankfully, they never reached 88mph!). Without laying it on too thick, the journey from the odyssey that was “Dr Pong” to the time travel advert of “Motionless”, is inter-dimensionally transcendental, and sounds just as hot in the car on the way home. The mix was immaculate — super tight, not too loud… colourful tempo and intensity changes throughout the set — and the band’s chemistry was undeniable. They looked like a unit, a tribe, a band fully in their stride.
The audience was a glorious cross‑section of Exeter’s music‑loving lifers — a proper mixed bag… 75% of the room made up of more ‘experienced’ people — with a scattering of Gen‑Z newcomers who give you hope for the future of live music. There were dancers, head‑bobbers, bar‑leaners, and a healthy number of beard‑strokers contemplating the finer points of PBE’s motorik pulse. Many had travelled from Totnes, where the band once lived, turning the night into a reunion within a reunion. The warmth in the room was evident. Matt repeatedly thanked Pippa, Dave, and the Cavern staff for keeping grassroots music alive — “without them… Exeter would be a much different place”, he said. It landed with the weight of truth.
The Cavern’s legacy shaped every second of the night, I have learned a lot from attending shows and talking to people over the years… my knowledge has grown exponentially. This venue isn’t a live venue — it’s a classroom, a community hub, a rite of passage. Matt reminisced about attending gigs and club nights here in his youth, these are the stories that make the Cavern what it is: messy, human, unforgettable. And yes — Pale Blue Eyes have outgrown a 200‑cap room. You’ve all seen them command festival stages. But that’s what made this night so special. A band very much at their nadir, returning to their roots, giving everything to a room that helped shape them.
This show felt like a celebration — of the band’s evolution, of the Cavern’s 35‑year legacy, of the community that keeps turning up. Their music is not just sound, it’s an experience, a journey… something that you have to see and feel to fully appreciate. And that’s exactly what this night delivered. After the set, the band didn’t disappear backstage. They went straight to the merch table — signing records, hugging friends, chatting about festivals past and future. No ego, no distance. Just gratitude and love. What will stay with me is the love and feeling that they pushed out into the room… they still gave it 110% as they always do - That’s Pale Blue Eyes: generous, grounded, and utterly committed.
Pale Blue Eyes feel like a band fully in their stride — confident, creative, and still hungry. They’re back in the studio shaping the blueprint for their next record, and while there’s no timeline yet, you get the sense they’re building something special. Would I recommend them to someone new? Absolutely. Start at the beginning, follow the thread, and let the journey unfold. If Pale Blue Eyes are building a movement one room at a time, then the Cavern just became another luminous chapter in a story that’s only getting brighter.
Setlists
Silk Cuts
1. Sisters
2. Secrets
3. Walking Ahead
4. Said Too Much
5. Suddenly
6. Virginia
7. Foxes
8. Everything
9. Super
Pale Blue Eyes
1. Takes Me Over
2. Dr Pong
3. Under Northern Sky
4. More
5. Heatings On
6. Signify
7. The Dreamer
8. Pieces of You
9. Daisy
10. Motionless
11. Our History
12. Chelsea
13. Sister
Words - Steve Muscutt and Sam Durneen
Pics - Steve Muscutt
