Gingerdope Photography
Starting off the night were UK Alternative/Hardcore band Casey. Atmospheric emotive melodies started to fill the room as their frontman jumped from the front of the stage to set himself up amongst the crowd for the duration of their set, adding that personal touch to the performance. They had a raw honesty radiating from their connection to the music, and it spread into the crowd, definitely hitting home with people. On a different note, their drummer has 100% mastered the art of the hair flick! Great performance. The clean vocal harmonies really complimented the screaming, even though halfway through the mic stand completely failed and the mic was pointing at the guitarists’ knees for the rest of their set! Definitely a band to check out if you’re into the melodic, emotive hardcore scene that is thriving at the moment.
7/10
Capsize, post-hardcore titans stormed the stage next, getting everyone in the room to take 3 steps forward before even starting. They delivered an energetic, aggressive performance, and the further they got through the set, the more natural it became. A pit started circling before they finished their second song, and Frontman Daniel began crowd surfing with fans following suit; it was great to feel the energy building in the room. Possibly the most aggressive band of the night in terms of performance, they definitely knew how to control the crowd. Fans were screaming back down the mic and getting more rowdy through the set. There was almost a feel of controlled chaos through the set, and they remained tight as hell never missing a beat throughout.
7/10
Daniel Claudin Photography
Main support band Burning Down Alaska, New Wave Hardcore band from Germany, were possibly my favourite band of the night. Even when they were just line checking, they sounded amazing and had an aura of professionalism and quality surrounding them. Their synth track started, their screams started, the rest of the band came onto stage, you felt the bass in your stomach, and then a wall of sound enveloped you as they kicked off their set. The dual vocalists really complimented each other; both Tobias and Kassim have a hell of a pair of lungs on them, and their melodious riffs and strong rhythmic sections fuse together really well. They put in an unbelievable amount of energy, and they have definitely mastered the art of crowd control. During the set, they had everyone in the room crouching down, awaiting their signal to jump up and move with them. The entire crowd was bouncing, clapping along, throwing their arms in the air, crowd surfing, and generally enjoying themselves. One of the best things about viewing that, was seeing the expression on the bands faces as this was happening, they looked genuinely thankful and happy to be there doing what they love, and getting the response they deserve.
9/10
Headliners Being As An Ocean took over the stage to end the night in style. Unfortunately due to strict time constraints by the venue, the band had to cut their set short, however they still delivered a ground shaking, genuine performance. Their set started slightly milder than the previous two performances, however this developed through their set, finishing strong and using that time to gradually build up the energy in the room to their explosive finish. As soon as Joel (vocalist) crowd surfed into the pit, the performance got that intimate feel and everyone loved every second. The one thing that really stood out about this band is the honesty and kindness behind them. Towards the end of their set, Joel made a bit of a political statement, on talking about the ‘Trumps of this world’ stating that we need to be the generation to “change that sh*t”, this got the respect of the crowd instantly on a deeper level. They had the perfect balance of breakdowns vs melodic riffs, and I’m sure there was plenty of beard envy in the crowd over Joel’s impressive facial hair
9/10