New Hope Club photographed by Lanie Kapsalis
I’ve known about British pop trio New Hope Club ever since Reece Bibby (23) was on The X Factor in 2014. At the time, he was only 14-years-old and in an eight-member boy band called Stereo Kicks. In all honesty, he was the only member I followed on Instagram because of his impressive talent and looks.
Now in 2023, he is 1/3 of New Hope Club - other members consisting of Blake Richardson (22) and George Smith (23). This was my first time attending a New Hope Club show and I was quite surprised at the enthusiasm and excitement written all over their faces. They performed an intimate show at Valley Bar located in Phoenix, Arizona on July 25, 2022.; this was their 4th to last stop on the “Getting Better” USA tour. The band teamed up with British men’s fashion designer Daniel Fletcher (finalist in Netflix’s “Next in Fashion” and GC’s Breakthrough Designer of the year 2020) to create custom pieces for the U.S. tour.
New Hope Club photographed by Lanie Kapsalis
The venue is practically in a basement; however, the UK boys were extremely happy and grateful, thanking their fans numerous times throughout the show for the continuous love and support. The show started with “Medicine,” their fastest song to reach 1 million views on YouTube, and ended with “Know Me Too Well.”
I admired that given the small space, they were actively communicating with the crowd and sharing short conversations. Not a lot of bands do this and I think it’s super important to engage with your audience in ANY and EVERY performance.
New Hope Club photographed by Lanie Kapsalis
New Hope Club is without a doubt a headlining act. The band will continue releasing 2-song sets in Oct, Dec, and Feb, leading into their sophomore album in April 2023. I will certainly be tuning into this album, and you should too!
In the meantime, be on the lookout for “Call Me A Quitter” & “Whatever,” one of the only breakup songs on the album - out Wednesday, Aug. 17!
Article + Photos by Lanie Kapsalis