Mouth Culture tip Aberdeen’s Tunnels fully feral, with Audiokicks and Overgrown laying the groundwork for a Tuesday night that proves exactly why small rooms still hit the hardest.

Words & photos by Katy Shewan (@katys_studio) | Mar 20, 2026

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Aberdeen’s Tunnels has always been one of those venues that feels like home for live music in the city – underground, a dropped pit, and the kind of space where every bit of energy bounces straight back at the stage. On this particular Tuesday night, that energy carried a little more weight. Just outside the venue, a tribute sat in memory of Danny Galloway – a much-loved figure in the local scene – a quiet reminder of how important spaces like this are, and the people who make them what they are.

Inside, the music did what it always does best – brought people together.

Opening the night were local four-piece Audiokicks, representing Aberdeen with a set that balanced emotion and energy in equal measure. Tracks where lyrics like If You’re Happy Why Do You Look So Sad leaned into heavier themes, but delivered them with a kind of brightness – fast drums, catchy hooks, and a chorus that felt made to be shouted back.

There was a looseness to their set that worked in their favour – moments of banter, the kind of charm that comes from playing a hometown show. A newer, unreleased track hinted at where they’re heading next, while Let Us Be the Last to Leave closed things out on a strong note. For an early slot, they pulled a solid crowd and set the tone well.

Next up, Overgrown stepped in and immediately shifted things up a level. Coming in with a more polished, almost understated presence, they leaned into a sound that pulled from early 2000s influences – hints of Deftones and Limp Bizkit layered into something slower, heavier, and more groove-driven.

Tracks like Breathe carried that weight, built around thick basslines and a rhythm that sat somewhere between a sway and a headbang – even if it didn’t stay slow for long. There were moments where the set tipped into something heavier, with screams cutting through and the crowd starting to properly move. Despite giving off the vibe of a band you’d stumble across locally, there was a clear confidence to what they were doing – as they thanked Mouth Culture for taking them out on their first proper tour – but something that made sense finding out later just how big their online following is. By the end of their set, the room felt fuller, louder, and ready.

And then came Mouth Culture.

If there’s one thing this band does well, it’s building a night into something chaotic in the best way possible. From the opening stretch of On and On into Dead In Love and Little Wednesday, they wasted no time pulling the room in. By the time Happier hit, the familiar “here we, here we, here we f*cking go” chant was already bouncing around the venue – a sign things were about to tip over.

What makes Mouth Culture stand out isn’t just the songs – it’s how they handle a room like this. Frontman Jack Voss is constantly in it, not above it – up on the barrier, leaning into the crowd, feeding off every bit of energy thrown back at him. There’s no separation between band and audience, and in a venue like Tunnels, that matters.

The setlist didn’t let up. Picking Wings Off a Butterfly, No Shame, and Regret 101 kept things moving, while Sharkbait pushed the room fully into chaos. The call for a mosh pit didn’t need much encouragement – and even when it was only a handful of people, they went all in. That’s the beauty of nights like this. It doesn’t matter how many are in the pit – it’s the effort that counts.

There were moments that summed the night up perfectly. A crowd surfer making it onto the stage and just… staying there for a moment, then dancing with the band and jumping about the stage when he realised he couldn’t get back. Fans shouting every word back. That sense of familiarity you only get at local shows, where you recognise faces in the crowd and everyone’s just there for it.

In between songs, vocalist Jack took a moment to shout out venues like Tunnels – a reminder not to take spaces like this for granted, and to keep showing up for local shows. It hit. Because nights like this prove exactly why that matters.

By the time Ratbag, 15 Missed Calls and Don’t Pull Up brought things to a close, the room had fully tipped into what the band jokingly called “stage five – feral”. And honestly, it fit.

Mouth Culture has been putting in the work for a while now, and it shows. From smaller rooms like The Attic in Glasgow where I saw them for the first time to festival stages like Takedown and Download, they’ve proven they can hold a crowd no matter the size. And yet, nights like this in Aberdeen still hit just as hard.

That’s the thing with bands like Mouth Culture – whether it’s 50 people or a festival field, you’re getting the same level of chaos, connection, and effort every time. And for the people who do show up, you’re in for a treat.

So yeah – shout out to them for making the trip that far north, and shout out to the people still backing local shows. Because nights like this? £20 a ticket, this kind of energy, this kind of connection – it’s exactly why these venues matter.