Whilst the bigger players of the UK pop-punk scene are busy playing festivals at home and abroad, an ever growing crop of emerging bands continue to slog it out in tiny rooms up and down the country. Tonight’s show finds us in the heated Red Room in Nottingham as local heroes Catch Fire, Leeds’ These Minds and Derby’s High Tides are on hand to showcase their talents.
It’s the former that kick off proceedings as they try and stir up a vibrant atmosphere with their their energetic style. Nevertheless, after a couple of tracks, the quintet fall into their stride. Admittedly their style is far from unique yet is another fine display of UK pop-punk; fuelled by angst and delivered with plenty of zest. On the whole, a short yet promising set from the Derby outfit. (2.5/5)
Leeds collective These Minds follow things up with a subtly melodic display. Previewing forthcoming EP, ‘Pour Out’ alongside older cuts, vocalist Adam Rank’s delivery is fierce and snappy complimenting his band mates well-paced style. Although the bands instruments, at times, outweigh Rank’s vocals, These Minds show potental throughout. (2.5/5)
Local lads Catch Fire continue to go from strength to strength. Tonight proves to be a milestone for the quintet as they bring the curtain down on their first chapter. As they pull away from work on EP2 for the night, their set serves as a celebration for how far they’ve come in such a short space of time. By the time they launch into their take of Alessia Cara’s ‘Wild Things’, the intimate Red Room is packed. With a small dedicated following at the front, vocalist Miles Kent’s growing confidence shines as he leads the crowd whilst his band mates display a pulsating and structured brand of pop-punk.
A poignant highlight comes when Kent performs EP closer ‘Introspective Pt. II’, leading the crowd in an emotionally charged sing-along. Whilst Brand new cuts ‘Thin Ice’ and ‘Reality’ show refined growth amongst the quintet before ‘Anaesthetic’ closes the short set on an effective high.
In a scene that is over-saturated with big name imitators, Catch Fire stand out with growing confidence and through effective songwriting, they stand out from the pack. Their second EP should solidify that fact and put them on the road to greater things. (4/5)
3/5
Words by Sêan Reid (@SeanReid86). Photos by Carrie-Anne Pollard.
