Due to ridiculously early door times, I only managed to catch the last two songs of up-and-comers Save Your Breath. Luckily I got to hear them showcase a new song from their latest album ‘There Used to Be a Place for Us’ and fan favourite ‘Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy’. They were on form, and I was impressed with what I saw. (4/5)
Next up were No///se who despite a ridiculous name, defied preconceptions and delivered an impressive set of garage-punk bangers. Making up for being reallocated to the tiny second stage by playing in the centre of the floor, they succeeded in creating a more intimate vibe, giving them an edge over other supports. No///se brought a Dead Kennedy’s retro vibe to the proceedings, and were great fun – definitely a band to watch. (4/5)
At odds with the rest of the bands on the bill, the dulcet tones of Seahaven went down like a lead balloon with the pumped-up audience. Yet despite this they delivered the best set of the night, sticking to what they know and displaying a level of musical prowess that the other supports lacked. Emotive and haunting, they worked their way through the greatest hits of ‘Winter Forever’ before ending with a sucker punch combination of ‘Head in the Sand (Blinding Son)’ and ‘Goodnight’. Tactfully ignoring the restless and disinterested crowd, they proved themselves as one of the best performing bands riding the “emo-revival” wave. I can’t wait for the unavoidable headline tour. (5/5)
The Story So Far are an absolute pop-punk juggernaut and despite playing the UK just five months ago, the hype around them has continued to escalate to fever pitch. It’s undoubtedly justified, and the tracks from this year’s release ‘What You Don’t See’ finally seem to belong alongside the much loved ‘Under Soil and Dirt’. ‘Right Here’ and ‘Things I Can’t Change’ have become fan favourites gelling well with the ever brilliant ‘Daughters’ and ‘Roam’ The whole crowd is awash with stage diving and crowd surfers, and at latter points in the set there was seemingly more people on stage than in the audience. With closer ‘Quicksand’ turning things up to new levels of crazy, it’s unsurprising that the previous evening’s venue collapsed.
Making an hour set seem like fifteen minutes, The Story So Far are always a joy to behold and with every person in the crowd screaming along without fail, there’s a strong chance they’ll reach A Day To Remember levels of fame in the coming year. (5/5)
5/5
Words by Jay Sullivan
