The Frog & Fiddle in Cheltenham is the venue for tonight as we join the last date of the Elessar, Halfway Hope and Hyde Project tour, a hometown show for the former, who use this to their advantage as their EP release show for latest offering Is This All We Are.
Midweek and Beachside Cafe both got the night off to a great start with some catchy tracks, both bands are relatively new to the scene (with the show being the latter’s first!) but they have a lot of promise and put in a good performance!
Hyde Project ramp up the night with their EDM-infused rock. The duo get the crowd singing along with a cover of Linkin park’s Numb. “You lot outside, get in here” is the first thing said as Halfway Hope take to the stage to a practically empty room, with the majority out in the smoking area next to the venue during the changeover. They do listen and by the time we’re halfway through the first song, the room fills up again. Halfway Hope are tight and put on a really good, albeit too short, set.
The night, however, belongs to Elessar. The quartet improve every time they perform and tonight is no exception, throughout the set all four members are in sync and the vocals are tight, perfectly conveying the emotions behind each track, adding another layer to each individual song. Saudade goes down particularly well with the crowd as do older tracks like Arrogance.