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This weekend the Vans Warped Tour<\/b> makes it return to the UK for the second year running, and this year its even bigger with over 50 acts taking over London\u2019s Alexandria Palace for two jam-packed days of music and skateboarding. <\/p>\n
As always Kevin Lyman (Warped Tour founder) and com hasn\u2019t disappointed by delivering a stellar line-up that stretches across the alternative rock scene. From pop-punk to metal core to hip-hip to everything in-between and more, Vans Warped Tour<\/b> UK 2014 is bound to be another success but with so much choice over the two days, who should you go and see?<\/p>\n
Well let Already Heard<\/b> help you out as we highlight ten must-see acts to see this weekend.<\/p>\n
Who are you looking forward to seeing at Vans Warped Tour<\/b> UK? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments below.<\/i><\/p>\n
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Real Friends <\/strong> They\u2019re infamous for using the lines \u201cSleepy eyes and bony knees\u201d in the majority of their songs, a gem for those who love a slogan and a massive annoyance to myself (I\u2019m a stickler for repetition). For anyone remotely interested in pop-punk they\u2019re well worth checking out, I\u2019d also suggest learning the chorus to \u2018Anchor Down\u2019<\/em> so that you can scream it back and enjoy an extra bit of audience satisfaction. (JS)<\/p>\n When:<\/b> Saturday 17th November.<\/p>\n The Wonder Years <\/strong> A strong contender for album of the year for many people, this set is guaranteed to be a sing-a-long, and despite Alexandra Palace doing all they can to deter crowd surfing, I doubt they\u2019ll be able to curb the tide during their set. Singer Soupy is the definition of Napoleon syndrome, so despite his tiny stature, you can expect him to unleash a whirlwind of emotion as he pours his heart on stage.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Of course, it\u2019s not just about the new songs, and personally I\u2019m hoping for a blend of their last three albums (but not Get Stoked on It<\/em>, they can keep that). If they finish with a one-two punch of \u2018Melrose Diner\u2019<\/em> and \u2018Passing Through A Screen Door\u2019<\/em>, that would make my weekend. (JS)<\/p>\n When:<\/b> Saturday 17th November.<\/p>\n Handguns <\/strong> Expect the poppiest of pop-punk songs, cheesy rhyming lyrics and a lot of jumping around. Bring your mates, bring a beer, their set is guaranteed to be a lot of fun. (JS)<\/p>\n When:<\/b> Saturday 17th November.<\/p>\n Rise Against<\/strong> Playing both days of the festival, and I\u2019m planning to watch both I\u2019m that keen; hopefully they\u2019ll take the opportunity to play two completely different sets. Hopefully this will mean more old songs, forgotten classics and maybe even an album or two in full. I\u2019m hoping that they\u2019ll be a surprise acoustic section to their set, not just for the inescapable \u2018Swing Life Away\u2019<\/em> but also the chance to hear \u2018For Keira\u2019<\/em>, Tim McIlrath\u2019s contribution to the Tony Sly tribute album. (JS)<\/p>\n When:<\/b> Saturday 17th November and Sunday 18th November.<\/p>\n Watsky<\/b> With the release of his latest album \u2019Cardboard Castles\u2019<\/i> earlier this year (which features a collaboration with Kate Nash \u2013 who saw that coming?), Watsky<\/b> has been on a European tour starting in October which will be landing in London for the Warped Tour this weekend. Don\u2019t let his Michael Cera looks fool you, as well as being amazingly talented his live show is energetic and extremely fun and it\u2019s due to this that he actually fits quite well on the Warped Tour line up. Just watch his live compilation video for the track \u2018IDAF\u2019<\/i> and I guarantee you\u2019ll see more stage dives and high fives than you saw at the pop punk show you were at last night. (JH)<\/p>\n When:<\/b> Sunday 18th November.<\/p>\n We Came As Romans<\/b> When:<\/b> Saturday 17th November.<\/p>\n Decade<\/b> One thing for sure is that they give their US counterparts a run for their money, and are definitely leading the UK pop punk scene forward into 2014. Get to know Decade<\/b> now because you\u2019ll be hearing a lot more of them soon enough. (SR)<\/p>\n When:<\/b> Sunday 18th November<\/p>\n Crossfaith<\/b> If you haven\u2019t seen Crossfaith<\/b> yet then expect to see complete and utter chaos as they come full circle this weekend. With abrasive metal riffs and the electronic sensibilities of Prodigy and Pendulum, the Osaka group are unique, frantic and come with tons of energy. (SR)<\/p>\n When:<\/b> Saturday 17th November.<\/p>\n Coheed & Cambria<\/b> When:<\/b> Sunday 17th November.<\/p>\n FACT<\/b> When:<\/b> Saturday 16th November.<\/p>\n Vans Warped Tour UK<\/b> links: Official Website<\/a>|Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n Words by Sean Reid (SR), Jay Sullivan (JS), Joe Hart (JH) and Ben Kosma (BK). <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This weekend the Vans Warped Tour makes it return to the UK for the second year running, and this year its even bigger with over 50 acts taking over London\u2019s Alexandria Palace for two jam-packed days of music and skateboarding. As always Kevin Lyman (Warped Tour founder) and com hasn\u2019t disappointed by delivering a stellar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8181],"tags":[62,3956,262,1455,10122,122,4360,1873,627,928,1549,9722,11388,746],"class_list":["post-26008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post","tag-already-heard","tag-coheed-cambria","tag-crossfaith","tag-decade","tag-fact","tag-feature","tag-handguns","tag-real-friends","tag-rise-against","tag-the-wonder-years","tag-vans-warped-tour","tag-warped-tour-uk","tag-watsky","tag-we-came-as-romans"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
This is the first time Real Friends<\/strong> have ever toured the UK, and the Warped Tour is their only London date, so get ahead of the curve and check them out. For those who aren\u2019t in the know, Real Friends <\/strong> fall on the more serious end of the pop-punk spectrum, similar to The Wonder Years but more \u2018friends and heartbreak and my dog\u2019 than all encompassing issues.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tumblr_inline_mmr5ucILAV1qztcot.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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The golden boys of the pop-punk scene, The Wonder Years<\/strong> have finally returned to our shores after a successful set at Slam Dunk Festival left us desperate for a full tour. With a six month break since \u2018The Greatest Generation\u2019s<\/em> release, there\u2019s been plenty of time for lyrics to be learned and the pure brilliance of the album to soak in.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tumblr_inline_mw9wxjKDjU1qztcot.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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\nAnother band from this year\u2019s Slam Dunk bill, I was lucky enough to see Handguns squashed into a Hatfield attic and it was one of the most fun sets of the day. Their latest album may be pretty weak but as long as they stick to a set that picks across all their material, it\u2019s sure to be a winner. I\u2019m hoping they\u2019ll be placed on one of the smaller stages, as the main stage will engulf them, but with an extra acoustic performance in the new Punktastic Acoustic Basement, it looks like I\u2019ll get to have my cake and eat it. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tumblr_inline_mwaxwpOqHW1qztcot.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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Do you really need a reason to see Rise Against<\/strong>? One of the most infinitely successful punk bands, Rise Against <\/strong>have gone from strength to strength across their fourteen year career. Whether your into their early fast-paced punk stuff or the more radio-friendly (yet still politically charged) tracks of 2011\u2019s release \u2018Endgame\u2019 <\/em>they\u2019ll be a crowd-pleaser in there for you. I saw them at Groezrock earlier this year, and their lengthy headlining set reminded me just how many great songs they have and how they\u2019ve undoubtedly influenced newer bands.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tumblr_inline_mw9tw2NAtN1qztcot.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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Watsky<\/b>, who is undoubtedly a sore-thumb sticking out of the Warped Tour line up on paper, is a rapper and poet from California. His popularity, like many who perform comedy or alternative hip hop, grew through his YouTube videos \u2013 most notably the video \u201cWatsky raps fast\u201d<\/i> in which he demonstrates in a small 1 and a half minute song just exactly what it is he\u2019s capable doing with his mind and voice. Unnaturally fast rapping isn\u2019t all you get from Watsky<\/b> though, he is also incredibly clever and his word play is up there with the best of them. Some of the stand out lyrics of his, for me, being; \u201cI\u2019ll be flipping birds like a chicken breast on a spatula\u201d<\/i>; “I can tell the time of day without a diamond on my wrist, don\u2019t give a _ about your Rolly\u2019s price”<\/i> and “Show me someone who says they got no baggage, I\u2019ll show you somebody whose got no story”<\/i>. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tumblr_inline_mw9xvipbxg1qztcot.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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\nThis Michigan melodic metalcore sextet surprised a few earlier this year with their brilliant third LP, ‘Tracing Back Roots’<\/i>. With pummelling drums, fitting breakdowns, subtle electronics and plenty of huge choruses, WCAR<\/b> are a great fit for Warped Tour. Whilst others in the genre come off as predictable and close-minded, tracks like ‘Fade Away’<\/i> and ‘Hope’<\/i> show We Came As Romans<\/b> are a band with plenty of potential to expand. Their sound is sharp, focused and after you see them this weekend, you\u2019ll realise We Came As Romans<\/b> are definitely more than your average metalcore band. (SR)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tumblr_inline_mw9vwpqVEp1qztcot.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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\nThe emergence of Bath\u2019s Decade<\/b> has been happening for the best part of 18 months, and having recently completed a tour alongside Tonight Alive, the five-piece are certainly in for a busy 12 months. With much anticipated debut album ‘Good Luck’<\/i> set to be released in the new year, Warped Tour is certainly a great time to familiarise yourself with Decade<\/b>’s brand of feel-good pop punk; soaring choruses and passionate lyrics. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tumblr_inline_mw9vp5oVpZ1qztcot.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
\nPhoto by Sarah Louise Bennett.<\/p>\n
\nReturning for the second consecutive year, Japan\u2019s Crossfaith<\/b> have had a jam-packed 12 months. Having joined Search and Destroy Records to touring with Bring Me The Horizon before spending the summer in the States on Warped Tour, they topped it off in September with the release of ‘Apocalyze’<\/i>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tumblr_inline_mw9xr4uaWE1qztcot.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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Coheed and Cambria<\/b> are at this point one of the older bands on the lineup, with 6 albums (or 7, depending on how you think of ‘The Afterman’<\/i>) and a whole science fiction fantasy universe under their belt. Don\u2019t worry though, you don\u2019t need to be a sci-fi comic scholar to enjoy them live: their tightness and technical proficiency, not least in Claudio Sanchez\u2019 breathtaking Geddy Lee-esque vocals, is up there with their prog-rock forefathers and if that doesn\u2019t sound appealing then their roots in pop-punk and emo and their frequent forays into metal are more than likely to appeal to most of the Warped Tour crowd in some way, shape or form. For everyone else, you can marvel at Claudio\u2019s hair. (BK)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tumblr_inline_mw9xktJuKE1qztcot.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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FACT<\/b> are certainly one of, if not the most exciting acts on the entire lineup. The japanese band blends elements of j-rock, post-hardcore, pop-punk and metal with virtuoso skill and manages to make it not sound like a cheesy, mis-matched mess – not an easy feat. Their music combines manic and dissonant riffs with heartfelt choruses and do so with deadly precision and an affinity for blast beats that you don\u2019t hear much outside of the dark, misty realms of black metal. They don\u2019t come over here particularly often so it\u2019s always best to catch them while you can, including at their pre-Warped Tour headline show at the Black Heart in Camden on 15th November. (BK)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n