ALMOST MONDAY WITH TOUGH COOKIE
THE BODEGA — NOTTINGHAM, ENG
San Diego trio almost monday were back in the UK for part 2 of their DIVE TOUR with an energetic performance at The Bodega in Nottingham. The tour is of course titled after their debut studio album DIVE, which they released in September 2024 and followed up with a deluxe version featuring three new songs in January 2025. It was a night of Grunge, Rock and proper Indie bangers.
The thrilling Tuesday night kicked off with Tough Cookie, a four-piece alt band from London. They opened their set with “Sandcastles 2008”, their most recently released single, a rock-ballad about quiet heartbreak. Having previously supported Tribes and Stone as well as headlined shows in London and Brighton, they brought the energy and presence to get the crowd excited. Powerful drums and smooth guitar lines anchored the set, paired with infectious riffs and dynamic vocals. Ending their set with their debut single “Emory”, described by lead singer Will Tse as, “a simple love song, nothing else to it really.”
There was a buzz in the air as the crowd prepared for Almost Monday to take the stage, hearing the “dive” recording play as the band entered. They launched into the second song on their album “is it too late?” and was quickly followed by the lead single “can’t slow down”, which reached number 1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, setting the tone for the night perfectly.
They definitely didn’t slow down after that, with lead singer Dawson Daugherty getting the crowd bouncing along to their high tempo bops, before slowing it down with “coast to coast” and “sweet feelings”, allowing the crowd to catch their breath. Dawson took the time to shout out the other members of the band, Cole Clisby on guitar, and Luke Fabry on bass who he admitted he “has a crush on” drawing a laugh from the crowd. The band then treated the audience to a fantastic mashup of “broken people” and “parking lot view” with the transition flowing between the two songs perfectly as if it was always meant to be heard that way.
The multitude of fans packed into the upstairs of The Bodega were dancing along to “you look so good” and “she likes sports”, as they re-upped the energy in the room. A new song called “lost” (unreleased) was dedicated to a fan in the audience who was very excited to hear it, shouting “yes!” when Dawson announced what was coming next. Before playing their final song of the night, Dawson made everyone get together so he could take a Polaroid photo to remember a very fun gig. Almost Monday signed off the night to “life goes by” before promising the next time they returned to Nottingham, “we’ll have a new album for you”.
Almost Monday continue their DRIVE PART 2 TOUR in the UK and Europe in June and July, before heading back across the pond for a United States tour in October and November.
ALMOST MONDAY
TOUGH COOKIE
