The Sophs walk 'THE DOG DIES IN THE END' round the 100 Club for Before Doors

There's a kind of magic in the bit of a gig nobody (usually) gets to buy a ticket for. The loose, slightly knackered hour before the show when the band's still working out which monitor is lying to them and the venue smells faintly of last night. Before Doors is Dork hanging around in that window with a camera, asking artists to play one for us before they play one for everyone else. The Itch, Cruz Beckham, Antony Szmierek and Nieve Ella have all taken a swing at it. This time, the band squinting under the soundcheck lights is The Sophs.

The room is The 100 Club. Yes, Dork's official second home, the famously low-ceilinged Oxford Street basement where roughly half of British music history has, at some point, sweated until near collapse. The London date was the climax of the LA six-piece's first proper UK headline run, the one that spent the previous week dragging the band through Bristol, Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds and Birmingham. They've chosen to mark the moment with 'THE DOG DIES IN THE END'.

If you wanted a single track to explain what The Sophs are up to, this is probably it. It opens debut album 'GOLDSTAR'. Nothing here is going to stay in one place for very long, and everyone involved is having a slightly ridiculous amount of fun about it. Press play. Pretend you got there early.