Big Special at the Roundhouse | Gig Review
Written by Francesca Barnes | March 11 2026
Big Special: “This is the single biggest gig we’ve ever done!…”
On the 27th February, Big Special bounded onto the stage at the Roundhouse and made it clear this wasn’t just another date on the tour. “This is the biggest gig we’ve ever done,” stated the Midlands’ duo, and they played like it.
The night, with support from Good Health Good Wealth and GANS, felt curated for impact rather than spectacle. The set-up was slender: instruments shared, minimal bass, constant movement between pads, pedals and mics. The band mentioned there were only fourteen people on the entire tour including crew, all of whom were thanked, along with their manager, whose name triggered affectionate boos from the crowd, encouraged by a grinning Joe Hicklin out front.
Good Health Good Wealth opened to a packed room. Frontman Bruce Breakey, performing with an injured arm, tho showed no sign of restraint in his delivery, sharp, wry and conversational. Beside him, Simon Kuzmickas barely stood still, firing bright guitar lines across the disco-leaning “Moonlight” and the swelling, 80s-maximalist outro of “You Don’t Know Me.” Arms and beer cups in the air, as the closer “Full Circle” landed with some of the evening’s most quotable lines, winning over the early crowd.
GANS shifted the energy up a gear. Their set was urgent and physical, built on driving rhythms and tightly wound dual vocals. Live sax cut cleanly through the mix, particularly on the stomping “Nightwalking,” while “I Think I Like You” drew the audience into the action, circles forming on cue and drinks now spilling.
Then Big Special arrived at full tilt. “Black Country Gothic” opened with industrial grit offset by a soulful undercurrent. Between songs there was their dry humour - “we love capitalism!” - before they snapped back into raging focus. The staging was stark, with their band initials ‘BS’ behind them. Callum Moloney on drums and electronics, Hicklin on vocals (and occasionally guitar), no frills, no distraction. No ‘BS’…
Hicklin’s ‘town crier’ voice anchored the night. “Black Dog / White Horse” felt expansive and tender, prompting one of the strongest singalongs from fans. “This Here Ain’t Water” hit even harder. When Hicklin strapped on a guitar for “Sluglife,” it added heart rather than flashy showmanship. Moloney balanced drums, backing vocals and live production seamlessly, even punctuating the charity raffle draw with a perfectly timed drum roll.
The raffle, raising money for their late friend James Burrow’s family, could have slowed momentum, but it didn’t. It was handled with their trademark sincerity and restraint, met with loud support from the crowd.
By the final run of “YesBoss,” “Shithouse” and a pulsing “Trees,” the Roundhouse felt fully theirs. Just two musicians commanding one of London’s most iconic stages with punk edged power and belief.
If this is what a band looks like in 2026, self-contained but spirited, then Big Special definitely make it work.
Thanks for a ‘special’ night lads!