Take This at The Sundown: Three Hours of Heavy-Hitting Anthems

By Alyssa | WhatsOn music and nightlife writer Alyssa tracks the gigs, festivals, club nights and late-late plans worth leaving the house for.

The snare drum cracks, the bassline drops, and suddenly every table in the room is forgotten. Drinks are abandoned in a condensation-ringed cluster as the crowd surges forward toward the stage. The air at The Sundown is thick with that unmistakable, crackling weekend energy, the kind that only happens when a room full of locals realizes they know every single word to the opening track. It is loud, it is incredibly sweaty, and the energy in St Helier is peaking. The queue outside was buzzing with anticipation, a mix of dressed-up weekenders and denim-clad regulars all chasing the same electric frequency, but inside, the vibe is entirely unified. This is live music at its most visceral and unapologetic.

If there is one failsafe formula for a massive Saturday night in Jersey, it is putting Take This on a headline stage. Far from your standard pub-corner background noise, this outfit operates as one of the island's most furiously in-demand party bands, commanding a fiercely loyal local following. On Saturday the 22nd of August, they are taking over The Sundown for a marathon three-hour set that promises to test the structural integrity of the dancefloor. In a local scene that can sometimes feel saturated with predictable acoustic acts, Take This brings a muscular, high-octane performance that demands your attention. They are known for bridging the treacherous gap between casual evening pints and a full-blown dancefloor riot, transitioning seamlessly from laid-back warmups into a relentless barrage of heavy-hitting anthems.

From Acoustic Chords to Dancefloor Chaos

The true magic of a Take This gig lies in the masterful pacing. The evening starts low-slung and relaxed. You can actually hear the ice clinking in glasses over the smooth, acoustic guitar intros as the room fills up and the early arrivals stake their claim on the best tables. It provides the perfect backdrop for finishing a late dinner and catching up on the week's gossip over a round of cocktails. But once the daylight fades outside and the venue switches up the lighting rig to cast deep hues of crimson and blue across the room, the gear shifts.

The setlist morphs into a tightly curated arsenal of undisputed floor-fillers. Guitars get significantly louder, the rhythm section begins to punch straight through the chatter, and the transition from a seated, nodding crowd to a shoulder-to-shoulder, hands-in-the-air mob is practically involuntary. Expect soaring vocal harmonies, blisteringly tight drum fills, and a venue sound system pushed to its absolute, chest-rattling sweet spot.

A St Helier Crowd Firing on All Cylinders

You do not just casually watch a Take This show; you survive it alongside a few hundred of your new best friends. The Sundown pulls in a brilliantly mixed demographic for these flagship gigs, creating a room completely devoid of pretension. You will find die-hard local music fans nodding approvingly by the bass bins, weekend warriors letting off steam after a brutal week at the office, and out-of-town visitors who simply followed the noise and got swept up in the absolute chaos of it all.

It is a highly communal environment where spilling a drop of your pint while belting out a massive chorus just earns you a knowing nod from a stranger. By the second hour, the invisible barrier between the band and the audience essentially vanishes. The frontman conducts the room, the crowd sings the brass lines, and the collective euphoria makes you remember exactly why you bother leaving the house on a Saturday night.

Know Before You Go

• Secure your spot: This band guarantees a packed house. While entry is usually free for regular gig nights at The Sundown, booking a table in advance is absolutely crucial if you want somewhere to dump your jacket and sit during the brief lulls.
• Pace your stamina: It is a marathon three-hour set. Do not go entirely off the rails during the acoustic warm-up; save your energy for the heavy-hitting party anthems that inevitably dominate the final hour of the night.
• Dress for the heat: The venue gets notoriously warm when the dancefloor hits capacity and the bodies start moving. Leave the heavy layers at the hotel and opt for something breathable.
• Strategic arrivals: Aim to arrive well before the music starts. The venue fills up fast, and grabbing a drink at the bar becomes significantly harder once the main set kicks into high gear.
• Late-night exits: The room empties out all at once when the amps are finally switched off. Pre-book a taxi with a local firm or know your exact walking route back through St Helier before the post-gig rush hits the pavements.

Make a Weekend of It

A high-energy Saturday night gig deserves an equally strong supporting itinerary to make the most of your time in St Helier. If you are basing yourself centrally for the weekend, spend the afternoon soaking up some island culture at the Jersey Museum & Art Gallery down by the Weighbridge. It is a brilliant, immersive way to ground yourself in local history before the modern-day madness begins.

Before the band strikes their first chord, you will want a solid meal to anchor the night. Head over to La Taverne on York Street for exceptional French cuisine; their generous portions and fantastic steaks set you up perfectly for a long night of dancing. Alternatively, if you want to keep things lively, carnivorous, and right in the thick of the action, The Square offers fantastic ribs, great drinks, and a bustling pre-gig atmosphere just a short walk away from the venue.

If you somehow still have energy to burn after Take This wrap up their set, join the late-night crowd at Chambers Sports Bar & Nightclub to keep the drinks flowing and the weekend adrenaline pumping. Finally, for the ultimate Sunday morning hangover cure, book a high-speed coastal blast with Jersey Seafaris. The sea breeze and the sheer thrill of a RIB boat slicing through the Channel waters will blast the cobwebs away instantly.

I will be down the front dodging spilled drinks and shouting the choruses right back at the stage—see you in the thick of it. – Alyssa