On April 12, Pierce The Veil will be heading to Cardiff on their latest Jaws of Life tour and is the biggest tour in the band’s history according to Vic Fuentes.
And he’s not wrong. I’ve seen Pierce The Veil on their UK tours twice before in 2016 and 2022 and both times they’ve played in Cardiff Uni’s Great Hall. This time around they will be at the Cardiff International Arena – sorry it’s now the Utilita Arena Cardiff isn’t it (the name changes are quite frustrating). But anyway, back to the reason we’re here – PTV. so they’re jumping from a 1,600 capacity venue to a 7,500 capacity arena.
Honestly, as glad as I am to see a band I’ve loved since the 2010 release of Selfish Machines (wow that was a longer time ago than I thought) headline such a stage, I feel that this should have happened a long time ago.
What do PTV say about the tour?
“Our upcoming UK/Europe tour, The Jaws Of Life Tour, will be the biggest undertaking in our band’s history.” says Vic Fuentes on the tour. “This is the show that we’ve been dreaming about putting on for our fans ever since we started touring overseas.
“It’s a monumental celebration of everything that we have all built together over the years. Since this will be our first time playing in UK arenas and larger European venues, we are bringing everything we have at our disposal to create a special, memorable experience that our fans deserve. If you ever wanted to see our band play live, this will be the tour to see. We are counting the days till then.”
Who are Pierce The Veil?
So Vic says it is a celebration of everything, fans of course will know just what PTV have done over their almost two decades as a band (and I’m sure fans remember the spaceship entrance in 2016), but for those who may be new to the band or just wondering why this is such a big deal, let me give you a brief rundown of Pierce The Veil.
The American rock band formed in 2006 and released debut album A Flair for the Dramatic the following year on Equal Vision Records. They started to gain a reputation across the world with albums Selfish Machines (as mentioned above) and particularly 2012’s Collide With the Sky – both on current label Fearless Records.
I first heard the band as said before around the release of Selfish Machines. I was particularly hooked by Caraphernalia featuring Jeremy McKinnon.
Despite rising in popularity (helped by multiple Warped Tours, normal headline and support tours around the world and appearances on Punk Goes Pop) and Collide With the Sky being the album many PTV fans say got them into the band, their first album to chart in the UK was 2016’s Misadventures, which reached number 17.
Casual fans will of course be familiar with Caraphernalia and the likes of King for a Day ft. Kellin Quinn, Bulls in the Bronx, Hold on Til May and Floral and Fading.
Their most recent album Jaws of Life was released a year ago now in February 2023 and was their third album in a row to reach number 1 on the US Hard Rock chart.
A staple in PTV’s career is their ability to put together stunning songs that will leave thousands singing along and jumping to their energetic live performances. That is what we can expect when they head to the (hopefully) sold out Utilita Arena Cardiff on April 12.
They will be joined by Cardiff’s very own stars in Holding Absence which will be a monumental occasion for the lads to perform on the biggest permanent stage in Cardiff (so we’re not counting stadiums here okay).
The line up is completed by Dayseeker, who I’ve admittedly not heard much of but will be checking them out in the run up to the show. But if the quality of the line up with PTV and Holding Absence is anything to go by, they’re going to be a great act to watch too.
Remaining tickets are available at https://www.utilitaarenacardiff.co.uk/all-events/pierce-the-veil-tickets-ae1625
If you can’t make Cardiff though, there’s nothing to worry about as the band are on a UK and European tour.
Jaws of Life UK and European tour
March 2024
30 – O13, Tilburg
31 – Ancienne Belgique, Brussels
April
2 – Markthalle, Hamburg
3 – Live Music Hall, Cologne
5 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
6 – O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester
7 – 3Olympia, Dublin Ireland
9 – Barrowlands, Glasgow
10 – Barrowlands, Glasgow
12 – Utilita Arena Cardiff, Cardiff
13 – Alexandra Palace, London