Arguably the South West’s best post-punk band, Colour TV, known for their catchy and energetic live shows, recently played their final gig of 2025 at The Underground in December, in a perfectly intimate send-off to the year.
Influenced by their friends and surroundings, Colour TV strike an angular and frenetic onstage presence, fronted by Sam Durneen (vocals) alongside Jack Yeo (guitar), James Elliott (bass) and Sean Goldsmith (drums). Since forming as a four piece in 2020, the band has wasted little time in building a strong repertoire of songs and a loyal fanbase, shown in an abundance of support at each of their gigs across the course of the year.
Colour TV began in Cornwall and fell together by chance. Jack’s melodic expression and Sam’s wistful storytelling present a rare and unmistakable marriage; James and Sean propel the sound with a vivid, urgent rhythm. Underpinning all of Colour TV’s music is a note of grief. But that’s life.
Upon entering the venue, located in the heart of Mutley Plain, the intimate 150-person venue is already alive early doors, filled with the incredibly talented vocals of the evening’s first support act, Lily Thomas, an acoustic singer and songwriter, beginning our night with a quartet of solo melodies that truly represent poetic songwriting at its best. Equipped with ethereal vocals, her guitar and a microphone, there’s not much else she needs to set the night alive.
Showcasing two original songs, alongside two covers, she’s already got the crowd engaged, with all eyes on her as we eagerly await to hear the talents that await us tonight before our headliners take to the stage.
Organized in support of Sound Factory South West, who strive to promote and work with artists across the UK, we’re treated to a total of three support acts before our main act takes to the stage. It’s great to see all fellow artists who will soon be performing, in and amongst the crowd, taking the time to support one another, allowing friends, family and fans the time to spend time with them all ahead of their sets.
The South West music scene really feels alive tonight, and with the crowd already buzzing, filling the cold winter evening with a lively atmosphere and the excitement and warmth that only live music can create, Plymouth indie rock band, The Buzzards, take to the stage.
The entire crowd take a liking to birdwatching, with the trio of The Buzzards flying on stage playing an array of their best hits, complete with some covers, filling the space with a unique, lively and electrifying energy. The local talent, fronted by Leo and Eliot (vocals and guitar/bass), supported by George (drums), gets the mosh pits and party atmosphere started, setting the perfect mood for those later arrivals in the crowd, building the excitement and anticipation for the final support, and of course, the moment we’ve all been waiting for.
The final support act of the evening is self-described “Neurodiverse Northerner”, Cat Rose, who ended up being a last-minute addition to tonight’s lineup, who’s a rising star in Plymouth, equipped with a strong repertoire of folk and indie originals.
Described by BBC Introducing as a “brilliantly talented songwriter with interesting insight”, Cat Rose polishes off the supporting artists perfectly. Not only does she perform some brilliant covers with musical skills on guitar and ukulele, but we’re treated to some of that interesting insight, with a unique rendition of an original song, ‘Seagulls’, written during the pandemic, about the only real company we all had during this era of our lives. With her debut EP recently released, it’s clear to see the crowd is excited to see what’s next for this up-and-coming talent.
Then came our headliners of the evening, and the moment that many of the crowd had been waiting for, as Colour TV took to the stage, ending the evening and the gig with an absolutely triumphant set. Taking the music scene by storm, they started the twelve-strong set with one of their newest released hits, ‘Still We Share the Stars’, treating the crowd to a live debut of what’s sure to become a new fan favourite.
The atmosphere of the gig was unmatched, with everybody in the room making the evening feel unique and alive. The entire set from Colour TV was an exhibition of excellence, blending their unmatched rhythmic beats with Sam’s masterful vocals to showcase exactly how to headline.
As expected by longtime fans of Colour TV, it was absolutely their iconic single, ‘Pavlova’, that was the highlight of the evening. Frontman Sam’s engagement with the crowd is unrivalled, introducing the song by asking us what we’d had for dinner that evening. With this being the only title in their repertoire that happens to have a name that relates to a dish, it didn’t take us long to guess.
In a beautiful love-in, the band brought fellow local musicians Joe Cocker (Meridia) and Olly Skinner (Stone Tape Theory) on stage to sing alongside Sam, with the audience filling the space alongside them with a euphony of overlapping voices, belting out this much-loved track.
It was a real treat to hear not only older tracks, including ‘Billy Pilgrim’ and ‘The Book of Her Life’ (both from the 2021 EP, Is That You), but also to hear brand new tracks, including the recently released ‘¡Baby!’ and ‘He Plays Guitar’, which got us all excited for what’s next to come for the year ahead.
The evening concluded with a beautiful rendition of the final song of 2022’s EP, How to Ask, ‘For Belugas’, a slower ballad that had everyone up on their feet. Longtime friends, family and fans of the band took to the stage alongside them as they played the final bars of the track, joining to mosh, singing their hearts out and enjoying the atmosphere. What an amazing sight to behold, and to celebrate their last gig of 2025.
A special shout-out has to go to the sound engineer (Dom Chiswell), who did a fantastic job at keeping the sound booming all night, creating the perfect atmosphere. Volume-wise, it was loud enough to fill the venue with the unmatched experience you get of attending a live gig, but still allowed you to sing along and have conversations with those around you. The sound distribution was absolutely perfect, making this a venue I’m sure many will continue to frequent.
I look forward to returning to this venue soon and seeing what’s next for all of these acts, particularly Colour TV in 2026. Ensure that you don’t miss their next announced gig by securing your tickets for Sound Factory South West’s Festival this July, where Colour TV will be playing at THÊ DEPØ on Friday 10th July.
Words by Holly Wigmore
Pictures by Eva Kleckham Ager
