Tonight is the last night of the Rocksound Impericon Tour and anticipation is high for the four bands performing. Fans are queued around the block for hours beforehand to witness Basement, Man Overboard, Trapped Under Ice and Your Demise at the Islington Academy.
Basement are up first and deliver a confident set in front of a sizeable audience that seem enthusiastic despite the fact that they are the opening act. Closing song ‘Every Single Word’ is a highlight that receives the best reaction much to the band’s delight. They seem to be really enjoying themselves on stage and there is a sense that they could be headlining a venue like this in years to come.
Man Overboard are up next and are not a natural fit on this tour but yet persevere with their upbeat pop-punk sound. They mix songs from their most recent self-titled album with older fan favourites to good effect. There are many memorable sing-along moments but single ’Montrose’ gets the best response from the crowd.
If Man Overboard are all about sing-along moments, then Trapped Under Ice are all about breakdowns and mosh-pits. From the moment they take to the stage, they do their upmost to whip the crowd into a frenzy and mostly succeed. They are a brutal and exciting band to watch live. Trapped Under Ice’s frontman spends most of the time in the faces of the front row to the delight of the excited fans. As they wander off stage, it is clear they have left a big impression on a lot of fans here tonight.
By the time Your Demise come on stage, the young crowd have reached fever pitch. Coming out to rapturous applause, they tear through opener ’The Golden Age’ with ferocity and passion. There is sparing between song chat from vocalist Ed McRae who seems overwhelmed by the fanatic response the band’s set is going, although he does pause to remark that this is Your Demise’s biggest headlining show to date. They then execute flawless live renditions of ’Scared of The Light’ and ’Shine On.’
With the crowd firmly behind them, Your Demise confidently swagger through more songs from their most recent album, ’The Golden Age’ as well as a handful from 2009’s ’The Kids We Used To Be.’ They end the set triumphantly with the title track from that album and as the lights come up and the crowd disperse, there is a sense that tonight was something special.
Four bands all came and played at the top of their game and showed everyone present how strong the underground alternative scene still is. They may not all have the same fan base usually, but tonight was a united triumph for the scene. A wholly enjoyable night out.
Words by Tom White
