A View From The Back Of The Room: The Commoners (Nat Sabbath)

The Commoners & Candar at KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton 04.12.25

There’s something wonderfully unpretentious about a cold December night out at KK’s Steel Mill, no theatrical gimmicks, just the promise of loud guitars, great songwriting, and bands who graft hard enough to mean every note they play. Tonight was exactly that, delivered first by rising alt-rock duo Candar, and then by Toronto’s high-voltage roots-rock exports, The Commoners.

Candar (9) are going to be compared to the White Stripes, or Wolf Alice a lot and I can’t help but feel this does them a disservice, there’s something far rawer about them; they’re a two-piece who understand the power of tension, space, and emotional weight. Vocalist/guitarist Ella Crossland and drummer Finn McAuley have carved out a sound that’s somehow both vulnerable and ferocious, shaped in the kind of dark, sweat-soaked London basements where songs aren’t written so much as survive.

Their set opened with Turned Blood Red, a simmering slow-burner that quickly erupted into a fuzz-stained confession. Ella’s voice (smoky one moment, siren-sharp the next) is the linchpin of everything Candar do. She doesn’t just sing heartbreak; she wields it like an instrument. Finn, meanwhile, plays with the restless energy of someone who’s spent years drumming in rooms too small to contain him.

Glitz & Glam strutted with jagged glamour, while Opera brought the first real gut-punch of the night, a track dripping in emotional abrasion. Wallflower and Do You See showcased their gift for dynamics; soft, bruised verses that bloom into chorus lines built to rattle ceilings. They closed with Flower and Girl You See, both songs landing with the confidence of a band who know exactly what they’re here to do.

One of the loveliest surprises? Nearly all of The Commoners watched their set from the side of the stage, it’s a small gesture, but one that says a lot about the camaraderie on this tour. And judging by the reaction, Candar walked away with a healthy number of new fans, myself included.

Toronto’s The Commoners (10) are a band built for big stages: big riffs, big harmonies, big heart. Yet there’s no ego, no rock-star posturing; just five people who look genuinely thrilled to be back in the UK and even more thrilled to be onstage together.

From the moment they launched into their opening track, it was clear that The Commoners operate in that sweet spot between vintage soul, blues-rock swagger, and road-tested energy. Think Black Crowes grit with a contemporary shine, familiar but not derivative, nostalgic without ever getting dusty.

Their sound is huge, the kind that fills a venue long before the amps are fully opened up. Dual guitars weave between muscular basslines, organ flourishes add warmth like a late-night fire, and the vocals… well, let’s just say there are frontmen who deliver, and then there are frontmen who command. Tonight, we were treated to the latter.

The highlight of the set was the performance of their new single Just Watch Me, introduced with the sort of ear-to-ear grins you only see when a band know they’ve written something special. The track hit like a victory lap, uplifting, soulful, and built around a chorus that begs to be roared back at them from a festival field. Based on crowd reaction alone, they’re not going to be playing venues this size for much longer.

Throughout the night the chemistry onstage was undeniable: glances, laughs, nods of encouragement, it radiated off them. Nothing about their performance felt phoned-in or routine. This was a band living inside their music, and Wolverhampton gave it right back.

By the time they wrapped the set, the Steel Mill was buzzing. It was a brilliantly curated night of genre-crossing rock that showcased two acts at very different stages of their ascent yet united by the same authenticity and hunger. Candar brought raw emotion and distortion-drenched honesty; The Commoners delivered a stadium-ready masterclass in modern blues rock.

If this tour is any indication, 2026 is going to be a huge year for both bands and I, for one, will be watching closely.