The Snuts bring Joy in Short Moments to life at Jacaranda Baltic.
The Snuts’ acoustic stop at Jacaranda Baltic served as a reminder that sometimes the best way to hear a band is to take everything else away. Arriving in Liverpool as part of their Joy in Short Moments tour, Jack Cochrane (lead vocalist) and Joe McGillveray (lead guitarist) delivered a stripped-back version of the album, putting their songwriting firmly in the
spotlight. With just two members on stage, it was a different side to the band, but one that never felt short of character.
The Liverpool crowd played no small part in that. Energetic and receptive from the outset, the Scouse audience were more than happy to give as good as they got, regularly firing comments back at Cochrane between songs. His constant banter and willingness to engage
with the room gave the evening a relaxed, almost conversational feel. The crowd became a part of the performance, with Cochrane’s exchanges adding plenty of personality to the stripped-back set.
Opening with ‘In Motion’, they progressed to fan favourites, ‘Glasgow’ and ‘Seasons’, along with ‘Summer Rain’s’ acoustic debut. Despite the smaller line-up, the sound was still unmistakably The Snuts. There was no sense of trying to make two musicians sound like a full band, letting the audience relish in the acoustic arrangement. Joy in Short Moments feels like a more personal record for the band. After years of touring
and experiencing the highs that come with success, there is a noticeable shift in what they are writing about. The album touches on the realities of life on the road, it also looks towards the smaller things that can get lost when everything moves so quickly. The title itself feels fitting:
finding happiness in moments that might otherwise pass you by.
The time away from releasing music was also part of the conversation on the night. With their previous album arriving in 2024, the gap before Joy in Short Moments appears not to be a case of taking longer to write and produce another record; Jack Cochrane touched on the topic of burnout and the toll constant touring has taken, making a break indispensable. This seems to have fed into the new album, which feels more considered and personal than a record simply made to keep up momentum.
Without the usual production, the songs had to stand on their own, and that they did. ‘PTS’ and ‘Top Deck’ sat comfortably alongside older material, showing that the new direction hasn’t resulted in a trade-off with the sound people first connected with.
‘Defibrillator’ and ‘Always’ rounded off an intimate set, leaving the evening to finish on a familiar note. What could have felt like a scaled-down version of a Snuts show instead offered a different way of hearing their new material- the closeness of the room suiting the songwriting. Their Jacaranda Baltic show displayed Joy in Short Moments as less of a departure from their past sound and more like a consolidation of everything that has brought them here.Written by Hannah Dawson
Photography by sophie davies
