A wise woman once said never miss the support act. They might just be your next favourite band. Which is almost the case with Slag. With a name characteristic of a perhaps slightly aggressive hardcore group, Slag instead (somewhat thankfully) fuses hazy shoegaze with spiky post-punk rhythms. A band that I had always meant to see back at home, I truly believe it may have been a work of fate to finally see them at the Portland. Gracing my playlists, their songs ‘Ripped’, and ‘Heaven’ have been heavily on repeat since seeing them live. With shouty vocals, pummelling bass and hypnotic guitar riffs – the Brighton five-piece are simply all I want in a band, they have IT!

Juxtaposing beautifully with their support, the duo that we’d really come to see, Prima Queen skipped onto stage in the suitably sporty attire of reworked Adidas outfits. Made up of trans-Atlantic best friends Kirstin McFadden and Louise Macphail, and drummer Heledd Owen – Prima Queen in a new formation are working tactically, this time lacking a bass player. Their new album rolls heartbreak, friendship, and challenges into a series of progression, reminding us firmly that Prima Queen are in fact ‘The Prize’ that we as the crowd win.

“Reminding us firmly that Prima Queen are in fact ‘The Prize’ that we as the crowd win”

Starting strong, they played the true fan favourite a few tracks into their performance. ‘Chew My Cheeks’ rang out to the crowd in full sing-along mode, swaying to the repeated lyrics of “You make it easy”. The pair grinned through their words, confronting a feeling of the intense desire to be seen – the song is truly the anthem of yearners. Their characteristic vocal harmonies prevailed in a sweetness that lasted throughout their gig, even when bidding farewell to “The Welsh Queen” drummer Heledd, who ducked off backstage to allow the duo to enter an acoustic session mid-gig. They took turns to sing lead vocals, but it’s when McFadden and Macphail’s voices seamlessly and beautifully merge with qualities reminiscent of boygenius or Waxahatchee that Prima Queen’s sound forms fully in all of its glory.

Prima Queen is without a doubt a summer act. Their more laidback tunes that emanate warmth and light. In the stripped back ‘Sunshine Song’ that a moment of complete calm is gathered within the set of more dreamy tunes. It’s a song usually introduced in place of an end to a day of nice weather, and to mellowly ask the audience if they’ve seen any sun today. But referencing the weather outside (typically gloomy), it became a song that Cambridge (and I) truly needed. It’s the perfect tune to accompany dreaming past the exhaustion of exams towards the freedom of May Week, and a vision of lying in the sun reading a book with no relation to my degree.

But the emotional tenderness of their set was mixed with high-powered pop hits. Their song ‘Oats (Ain’t Gonna Beg)’ was for me the highlight song of their performance. From the new album, with a similar energy to the bratty attack of Dream Wife, accompanied with a dance routine the song, the pair sarcastically entertain relationships that ask far too much of them. With droning guitar solos and incredulous choruses, it’s an eye roll embodied in a song.

“It’s an eye roll embodied in a song”

The evening proved an incredibly (and uncharacteristically) intimate gig for Prima Queen, which I think the duo were completely aware of seeing as they had played Islington Assembly Hall (with a sold out 900 capacity) the night before. The tiny Portland is always the ideal setting to see acts like this (and any band really in Cambridge, really). The fact that a more acclaimed indie duo might choose to come to Cambridge (already decidedly off the beaten track for most tour routes) and play a grassroots venue rather than somewhere massive like The Corn Exchange proves how familiar the scene has become with the importance of prioritising and supporting smaller venues. They do really deserve the bigger stage, but I’ll selfishly take any performance in a non-sold-out Cambridge pub over the massive Islington Assembly Hall any day.

But all the same, it’s a genuine joy to see bands enjoying playing their own music onstage without an excessive persona or having an overly cool look of seriousness. There was a sense of total synergy between both bands. Playing as one, glancing to smile at each other – or to strike a pose – makes for a performance truly worthy of ‘The Prize’!