Live Report: Maverick Sabre brings funk energy to the Electric Arena

From the get-go, Maverick Sabre oozes confidence. Most acts do, but few seem as comfortable as him- nor do they make it their mission to spread it to the audience.

The Electric Arena is filled with a funk-soaked sound, one that couples excellently with Sabre’s incredible vocal ability.

It’s joy to listen to. He stuns the audience with the variation of his vocals, all without showing a shred of exertion.

He’s supported by some jangling guitars, which have a real disco sound to them, something that also applies to the rumbling bass and keyboards.

All this sits in perfectly with a diverse bed of percussion. Maverick himself cannot help but move to it, and so the crowd stand no chance of resisting.

His stage presence is a force to be reckoned with- it becomes clearer by the minute that he’s enjoying himself immensely, and the crowd mirror this energy.

He wonders aloud how many are old school fans: to which he’s immediately greeted with a loud cheer from a large, loyal portion of the crowd. It’s a majority, but there’s still a lot of newer fans in the arena.

It’s hard to describe the genre of the music. It’s fast, sometimes bluesy, and has an infectious rhythm. It’s almost disco, but the crowd jump like they’re at a metal concert.

He slides into ‘Let Me Go’. The crowd react appropriately to what can rightly be described as a classic, as the band wow with their onstage chemistry. Maverick shows off, as he should.

Maverick Sabre at Electric picnic 2025. Credit: Cat Gundry-Beck

Of all the songs to cover, The White Stripes’ ‘7 Nation Army’ comes somewhat as a surprise. The surprise doesn’t stick around though, as they display their talent through bringing an already strong tune to another level.

As the band doesn’t miss a beat, Sabre reveals a conjoined Palestinian and Irish flag, to roars of approval. It’s a visual metaphor; one he explains beautifully when he says how “Irish people are tied to every oppressed people.”

Sabre is a frequent collaborator. He’s had a slew of successes with a range of DJs, but their absence wasn’t an issue, as the band tackled drum and bass dance music with ease.

Crowd involvement is clearly of the utmost importance to Sabre. Naming them his “Sexy EP Choir” he frequently asks for their help, which of course they gladly indulge.

No moment captures the feeling of his connection with the audience quite as well as an intimate, acoustic version of his 2012 song ‘Something Good’.

His final request is that the crowd screams ‘Love’ on three. Satisfied, he leaves it at that.