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Happy Sam Willmett Wednesday

The Bug Club at Rough Trade Below

Full gallery on my website.

On Friday, July 3, 2026, Welsh band The Bug Club (Sam Willmet, Tilly Harris, and drummer Gavin Jenkins) performed and signed records at Rough Trade Below, the downstairs location of Rough Trade NYC. The band scheduled a show two nights prior at Elsewhere Rooftop* (when NYC was experiencing a heat wave) and I was grateful to attend a free performance of theirs inside with air conditioning. Their current tour is in support of their newest record, Every Single Muscle, which was available for sale at Rough Trade. Their performance was scheduled to begin at 6, but I showed up very early to secure a spot up front and I happened to hear their loud soundcheck that also drew in tourists who happened to be nearby in the concourse level of Rockefeller Center. The trio soundchecked “A Bit Like James Bond,” which didn’t make their actual setlist, so I am happy I showed up a lot earlier than was necessary as I love that song. The band also played a bit of The Troggs’ “Love Is All Around” during soundcheck as well that was a fun moment to hear while waiting for the show to start.

Their live set at Rough Trade comprised of songs from Every Single Muscle, naturally, such as “Miss Wales 2012",” “Pretty as a Magazine,” “Semi-Automatic,” “A Good Day for Dying,” (described as angsty by Harris), “It’s Our Manager David,” “All My Clothes Fell Off,” “Shiny and Wet,” “Make It Count,” (introduced by Tilly as being about awkward sex) and “Watching the Omnibus.”

After their performance, the trio signed records and chatted with fans who braved the heat for their free show. I showed up with my five Bug Club albums on vinyl and got them all signed. Some photos of their fun performance can be found in this gallery on my website.

*I bought a ticket to their rooftop show when it went on sale but I gave it away because I knew I could not deal with the oppressive heat. I’ve fainted during a heatwave during an outdoor show on July 4, 1999** and make an effort to not repeat that. I was hoping Elsewhere would move the event inside but they unfortunately didn’t.

**It was Luscious Jackson, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and Mixmaster Mike at SummerStage in Central Park. Amusingly, I was in the act of purchasing water after JSBX’s set when I passed out.

#The Bug Club #Sam Willmett #Tilly Harris #Gavin Jenkins #Rough Trade NYC #Rough Trade Below

The Bug Club and Tea Eater at TV Eye

Full gallery available on my website

The Bug Club concluded their US tour with a two night stand at TV Eye in Ridgewood, NY. On the first night, they were joined by Leroy the Poet on Monday, December 15th, and by Tea Eater on Tuesday, December 16th.

During the evening of Friday, December 12th, I visited one of my oldest friends working at a bar after a concert and heard The Bug Club’s “Lonsdale Slipons” and immediately loved what I heard. I used my phone to identify the song and then quickly visited Oh My Rockness to update my account to receive an email alert for the next time they were in town since I discovered they live in Wales. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were having two shows in a few days and tickets were still available, so I listened to their albums over the weekend and bought a ticket for the Tuesday show. Their songs were witty, extremely catchy, and I regretted not discovering them sooner.

Tea Eater opened on Tuesday night after 8PM. All band members arrived on stage in costume, to be later joined by another person (who was also tasked with selling their merchandise) that donned a dog mask and crawled on all fours and danced while the band played on stage. Although it seemed pretty random at first, Tea Eater soon played “Little White Dog (in a Gated Community),” when it made complete sense. For “I Am A Bug,” bug eyeglasses and antenna headbands were handed to audience members to wear. Before leaving the stage, Tarra Thiessen brought out a homemade vegan red velvet cake to celebrate the end of The Bug Club’s tour before ending their set with “Butter.”

At 9PM, Sam Wilmett (guitar) and Tilly Harris (bass) of The Bug Club took the stage and were backed by Tom Rees on drums, who produced their latest album, Very Human Features, and last year’s On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System (which features the very first Bug Club song I heard on Friday night) which were both put out by Sub Pop Records. Tilly thanked everyone in the audience for coming and resisting the very tempting karaoke event happening next door the same night. The band blazed through their set list, performing for an hour and half, with the band taking occasional breaks to hydrate and talk to the audience. Some audience members behind me up front did some light moshing and dancing to “War Movies” and “Quality Pints.” Before ending the show Tilly asked us to buy their merch so they wouldn’t have to FedEx stuff home to Wales and I’m pleased to report that I did my part and headed home with three of their releases on vinyl.

#The Bug Club #Tea Eater #Tarra Thiessen #Sam Willmett #Tilly Harris #Tom Rees #Sub Pop Records