Real Friends - Thekla, Bristol, 13/04/17

This show was originally scheduled to take place on the 16th of December, with support from With Confidence and Knuckle Puck. Unfortunately it was postponed due to Dan Lambton - frontman of Real Friends - struggling with mental health issues and seeking help, and the original support acts were unavailable to perform the rescheduled dates.
I'm actually quite grateful that this show was pushed back. Instead of seeing With Confidence playing a short opening set I was able to attend the Bristol date of their headline tour, and I discovered Microwave and Can't Swim: two bands that I'd heard of before, but hadn't really listened to.

Microwave were the perfect replacement for With Confidence. Their expertly blended pop-punk sits on the heavier end of the spectrum, and when vocalist Nathan Hardy began verging on screaming in the middle of 'Trash Stains' he effortlessly grabbed the attention of every person in the room.
This was their first UK tour, but it's definitely not going to be their last. A remarkable amount of people were singing along to every word, pushing to get closer to the band and moshing without restraint despite their early stage time.
They're obviously comfortable in front of a crowd, easily joking around and making the entire room chuckle when Nathan said that "Can't Swim almost had to drop this show, because they were a little bit afraid of being on the boat!".
Closing song 'Vomit' was the highlight of their set. As the climax of the song approached, the band split the vocal duties, roaring into the microphone on the repetitive "There's nowhere else, nobody else, nothing", the emotive performance so powerful that it sent chills down my spine.
If Microwave can perform a set like that on their first UK tour, I can't wait until they announce some headline shows and return to our shores. Until then, I'm going to be playing debut album 'Stovall' on repeat. 

Setlist:

Trash Stains
Busy
Drown
Lighterless
Dull
But Not Often
Stovall
Vomit

Can't Swim were the only band on the line-up that I couldn't connect with. Frontman Chris LoPorto's vocal was so gravelly that it sounded like he needed to clear his throat, and it grated on my nerves during most of their eight-song set.
There were a couple of exceptions, the most notable being 'Stranger'. It's catchy "Oh god, I always felt like you were such a stranger" chorus sparked the interest of the previously passive audience members and a few people started dancing along, but for the majority of the set the crowd were standing in polite indifference. When comparing their set with the response that Microwave received it would have made more sense if they'd been the main support for this tour, but closer 'Your Clothes' ended with a bang worthy of a headliner. If the entire set had been as strong as those two songs, it would have been hard to beat their performance.
Can't Swim have only been a band for two years, so it's impressive that they've already landed themselves such a lucrative support slot. It'll be a while until they can headline a venue of this size, but hopefully they'll get better with experience.

Setlist:
What's Your Big Idea
Come Home
$50,000,000
Stranger
Right Choice
Hey Amy
We Won't Sleep
Your Clothes

This was Real Friends first time playing a show on a boat, and they were a tad excited about it.
After screaming about nautical circle pits and recommending The Lonely Island's 'I'm On a Boat', vocalist Dan Lambton asked the audience "How many bands do you see here that make it a point of saying they're on a boat?", grinning proudly at the exasperated groan he got in return. "Well, I don't give a fuck what anyone else says, this is our first time on a boat!"
It must have been a first for the boat, too, because there aren't often shows this raucous on Thekla. You couldn't keep track of the amount of crowd surfers sailing over people's heads, coming to a stop on the stage to sing a few lines with Dan before diving back into the action. This is a band that matters deeply to their fans, and with relatable songs such as 'Summer' and 'I Don't Love You Anymore' it's impossible not to yell the words and let your emotions loose.
'Mokena' was a particularly powerful moment. It may be one of their most stripped back songs, but the "I'm fucking up, and getting over it/I'm over it" chant had every person in the room shouting the lyrics back at the top of their lungs. Yes, it's simple, but it's bloody effective.
Last year's 'The Home Inside My Head' showed a huge development for Real Friends, both musically and lyrically, but every song seemed equally adored by the energetic audience at this sold out show. It doesn't matter if they appeared on one of the various EPs that the band released at the start of their career, or their debut album 'Maybe This Place Is The Same And We're Just Changing' - they were all received enthusiastically, and there wasn't a moment in this set that fell flat. It'll be exciting to see what Real Friends do next: they have upcoming tours in the US and Mexico, and then will presumably start work on their third full-length.

As I mentioned earlier, this show was meant to have happened back in December. Dan bravely opened up when the show was originally rescheduled, and he wasn't afraid to continue the conversation about mental health during the show. "I want you to know mental health is not a fucking joke," he began, just before the band started their two song encore. He shared that he's "not 100% there, but [he's] working on it", before telling the crowd "Please, go get help. I implore you. [...] Take a chance. Because if you stay where you are now, it's not going to plateau. It's going to get lower and lower, and I want you to get higher and higher." With the crowd cheering throughout his speech and applauding furiously, it's obvious that they appreciate Dan's advice and his honesty: he's an inspirational man.

Setlist:
Empty Picture Frames
Colder Quicker
Loose Ends
Floorboards
Late Nights In My Car
Mokena
Lost Boy
Old Book
...And We're Just Changing
Stay In One Place
...Maybe This Place Is The Same
I Don't Love You Anymore
Dead
Keep Lying To Me
Anchor Down
Mess
-
I've Given Up On You
Summer

With Confidence - The Exchange, Bristol, 26/02/17

In the year since I discovered Milestones, they've come a long way. After being signed to Fearless Records they released their debut EP, 'Equal Measures', and over the next few months they're heading out on tours across the world with legendary bands including Mayday Parade and Simple Plan.
The performance they gave was a more passionate one than I remembered from their Waterparks support slot. Vocalist Matt Clarke was sauntering around the stage displaying utter confidence in his abilities, his unique vocal tone elevating songs that would otherwise struggle to stand out from the rest of the upcoming pop punk crowd. He's a secret weapon, and I think his talent is to thank for their snowballing success.
Playing two new songs, 'Royal Flush' and a song that seems to be called 'Wankless', I was again impressed with the leaps and bounds that Milestones are making. When I saw them last year I touched upon the fact that the new material was more mature and developed, and the same can be said about these as yet unofficially released songs.
Introducing 'Royal Flush', Matt shared that it was "about giving yourself the best possible life" after the group decided to focus on the band and make it their "entire lives" last year. That focus has certainly helped, gaining them attention in a rapid fashion rarely experienced by UK bands taking on the States. Matt shared that they've played Bristol three times before, and that "every single time it's been this room, and this was the most full it's ever been", a growth they definitely deserve. It was the perfect birthday present for guitarist Drew, who also had the whole room singing 'Happy Birthday' to him while Matt showed off the cake they'd been gifted by a fan.
I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this band, because it looks like it's going to be a very bright one: perhaps brighter than the fairy lights that Matt had twined around his microphone for 'Shot in the Dark'...

Setlist:
Hindsight
Nothing Left
Royal Flush (*)
Shot in the Dark
Call Me Disaster
Wankless (*)

(*) song titles credit to @_faithonfire on Twitter!

Safe To Say acknowledged that there was a disparity between their sound and the rest of the bands, and they weren't an exaggerating. Whereas Milestones, Broadside and With Confidence are all solidly pop punk, Safe To Say lean towards grunge, making the start of their set seem a little abrasive after the syrupy smoothness of the opening band.
They didn't only sound vastly different from the other acts: their songs all differed from each other. The first two were heavier, with an introspective element that made it hard for the crowd to get involved, while third song 'Tangerine' was emotionally heavy, draining the energy and depressing the previously enthusiastic crowd.
However, everything changed when they played 'Summer Sickness'. Vocalist Brad Garcia told the crowd "If you wanna bang your head and jump around, whatever you do in the UK, you can do that!", but I didn't expect it to get so bouncy so fast.
The songs on 'Down in the Dark' - the full-length album they released in 2016 - seem to be a drastic departure from the songs featured on EP 'Hiding Games', and I'm looking forward to listening to both releases in full to be able to appreciate the development between the two more.
I found the first half of their set a little disconcerting - when you have preconceived notions of a band and they get smashed to the ground, that happens - but after I'd adjusted I thought their set was the best of the evening. They suffered from sound issues, both backing vocalists inaudible for the majority of their set, but they tried their hardest and succeeded despite that.
It wasn't the most fun performance - that award goes to Broadside - but musically they're superior to the other bands. All of their songs are intricate and well-developed, and they deserve more attention: this shouldn't be the first time I was hearing about this band.
Brad thanked the crowd at multiple points during their set (joking "I know I've been saying thank you a lot, maybe that's because we're Canadian!") but took the time to enthuse that "Music is music, and if you connect with it, that's what matters", encouraging people to give new bands a chance whenever possible and personally recommending Milk Teeth. Heralding them as "one of our favourite bands ever", it explained why vocalist Becky Blomfield was Safe To Say's merch girl. Band members need day jobs too!
The end of their closing song was anthemic, sprawling in an impressive manner that would make it perfect for arena performances. It made their set very difficult to beat, and had me hooked - I just wished the moment could have come earlier in their set, because it dissolved any niggling doubts that remained in the back of my mind.

Setlist:
Only Rain
Afterglow
Tangerine
Summer Sickness
-
-

Despite the fact that Broadside played the same amount of songs as the first two supports, their set felt shorter. This is partly because their songs are faster, a brand of frenetically-paced pop punk that has every song timing in at below three minutes.
But the real reason their set passed so quickly was because of the response from the crowd. Those who had been disinterested during Milestones and apathetic towards Safe To Say suddenly kicked into high gear, throwing their arms in the air and shouting every lyric back to frontman Ollie Baxxter, who looked blown away by the reaction.
This was a With Confidence headline show, but the night belonged to Broadside.
If you're looking for a band who are utterly at ease up on stage, Broadside are the ones for you. They joked around with the crowd a lot, interacting in a way that the previous bands hadn't. Ollie quipped, "It's nice to see all you guys... Well, hardly, with all these lights", before mentioning how it was "nice to be away from our shitty ass president", a comment which had cheers erupting around the room, making it feel as though we were watching friends up on stage.
As this was their third trip to the UK, Broadside weren't plagued with nerves. They know how to work the crowd and they know they've already got fans over here, which meant that they were just having fun. It made their set all the more enjoyable, watching the members putting everything they had into their performance and loving every moment.
Closer 'Coffee Talks' was explosive, the crowd throwing themselves into the song and taking the opportunity to make a mini moshpit - the first of an evening which had been otherwise restrained. I was disappointed that it was already the end of their set, as I would have happily listened to another half an hour of Broadside, but it's made me determined to see them again next time they visit our shores.
Ollie asked the crowd to check Broadside out online, "leave a comment and say this band is shit, or this band is not shit. The best thing you can do is talk about something, because records don't sell for bands like us." Well, I'm definitely going to be talking about Broadside a lot in the weeks to come.

Setlist:
The Simple Type
Storyteller
Come & Go
Damaged Kids
Human Machines
Coffee Talks

With Confidence should have returned to the UK back in December as openers for Real Friends, but after the tour was rescheduled they announced these headline dates, playing debut album 'Better Weather' in full. I was over the moon and bought tickets the day they went on sale: seeing them at a headline show was obviously preferable to a short support slot.
Their music leans towards the pop side of pop punk, which is how they've toured with mainstream boy band 5 Seconds of Summer throughout Australia, but it made for a very fun evening. The songs are upbeat, and when guitarist Luke Rockets repeatedly gestured to the crowd to start jumping it didn't take much persuasion. Everyone in the room was there to have a good time, singing along to every word and dancing their hearts out.
It became apparent to me during the show why the boys are often compared with All Time Low. I didn't see enough of their set at Slam Dunk to appreciate just how childish their on-stage banter is, but at multiple times throughout the evening I felt like slapping myself on the forehead from the sheer idiocy of their comments. The sexual jokes about relationships between the band members just made me cringe, especially considering the age of a lot of the people in the room, made even more obvious by the fact that there was a lot of squealing and giggling after every piece of innuendo. It was unnecessary, and detracted from what would have otherwise been a perfect set. When the music is as enjoyable as this, there's no need to say stupid things for attention.
Vocalist Jayden Seeley wasn't on top of his game, admitting "I'm a little bit sick and I'm losing my voice, but fuck you guys are raising my spirits" after the first three songs of their set. It wasn't obvious: if this is what Jayden sounds like on a bad day, I can't wait to see them live when he's feeling 100%. Luke took it as an opportunity to entice the crowd, confiding that "the courteous thing to do tonight would be to help him along with every single fucking word," and it certainly worked: at a few points throughout the evening the crowd were singing louder than the band, not something you often experience in a venue of this size.
There's something about this band that is rapidly getting attention. Their links to 5 Seconds of Summer and All Time Low and being on the Hopeless Records roster don't hurt, but it's more than that: they have a spark. I mean, their music definitely isn't the kind that incites moshing, but they managed to get a circle pit going towards the end of 'London Lights' that involved nearly every person in the room!
It also helps that all of the members bring something to the band. Jayden is a brilliant frontman, trying his hardest to talk to the crowd as much as he could, despite being put on vocal rest the second he left the stage. Luke is the joker, the Jack Barakat/Pete Wentz of the band, romantically cuddling his bottle of Jack Daniels before leaving the stage when Jayden was playing his solo, 'Long Night' (played on guitar instead of the normal piano, as it "[didn't] really fit up there"). Josh Brozzesi is a great drummer, even if he doesn't like being in the limelight: the only thing he said during the entire show was "Hi guys, how we doing?" before waiting an uncomfortably long length of time and mumbling, "Nice chat...".
But I was blown away by guitarist Inigo Del Carmen, and the lead vocal that he performed on 'Keys'. I hadn't heard the song before, and I have no idea how I missed it: it's a beautiful and heart-wrenching ode to his friend who committed suicide, the only song on the album that Inigo both wrote and performs lead vocal on. He acknowledged the meaning of the song before it started, sharing "I like to talk about things that are important. Like... It's a bit of a sad one. If you ever feel like you're down and out and worthless, that's bullshit. [...] Never feel like you're alone. This song is for my best friend". You could feel the raw emotion in his vocal, the passionate performance the highlight of my evening. I actually think I like Inigo's vocal more than Jayden's: whether that's because of the feeling he was pouring into the song or Jayden's illness, I'm unsure. I just hope that he gets a more prominent vocal role on their releases in the future, because his tone is impeccable.
The band themselves don't seem able to believe their success, asking the crowd "Who would have thought we'd be in the UK headlining our own tour?!", but based off of the amount of dates on this tour that sold out, it won't be long before they're returning and playing headline shows in bigger venues.
I have it on good authority that the band will be back in the UK towards the end of May (I'm sure you can guess why!) and I'm already looking forward to seeing them again. It's been a while since I've left a show with a smile that big on my face. With Confidence are fun.

Setlist:
Voldemort
Archers
Tonight
Dinner Bell
Gravity
Keys
Higher
Long Night
Godzilla
We'll Be Okay
Waterfall
-
London Lights
Keeper

Yellowcard - Bristol O2 Academy, 11/12/16

I'm still confused as to whether they're called The Kenneths or just KENNETHS, but one thing I can say for certain about the opening band is that they're pure punk. 

I caught a bit of their set at Warped UK last year and I can't remember them sounding so unapologetically raucous. In fact, I can't recall much about their set at all: in a day filled with brilliant bands, Kenneths struggled to make their mark. But with an extra year of experience under their belts and the September release of their 'Double N' EP - which features four of the strongest songs they played in their set - I won't let myself forget about this band again.

The trio, comprised of vocalist Josh Weller, drummer and backing vocalist Aicha Djidjelli and bassist Lewis Maynard, were fighting a losing battle with an extremely unresponsive crowd, but that didn't stop them putting everything into their thirty minute set. Squeezing in a mind-blowing ten songs, it took three songs before Josh paused to ask the crowd "What day of the week is it?" and when the answering yell confirmed that it was Sunday he nodded gravely, saying "Oh shit, that explains it. Let's pretend it's Saturday!". 

I'm not sure the end of the week had much to do with their lack of reception, though: it being Yellowcard's final show ever in Bristol, the affair was sombre and rather restrained throughout both support bands. Everyone was saving their energy to give the headliners a worthy send off, a mere handful of people jumping during 'What Happened To My Sex', when Josh was screaming at them to "Jump, jump, jump" and get involved. 

You can't say that he didn't do everything that he could to improve the response. He forced the crowd to hold him up while he played his guitar, clambering on top of them during 'Fucked In Love' after asking "Who wants to play a game of catch?", then encouraged them to make some noise when he announced they were playing their last song by shouting "You can cheer if you want, I don't like us much either!". 

Of course, being a punk band they needed to have some social commentary sprinkled through their set, and they definitely made the most of that obligation. Introducing 'What Happened To The Radio', Josh shared that it was a "song about how shit the radio is in this country", dedicating it to Chris Moyles and Zane Lowe, then after Aicha performed lead vocals on a song he shouted "More women in music, please! This place is a dickfest! Girls, pick up an instrument. You're smarter than us".  

It wasn't too surprising when Josh mentioned that he suffered from ADHD, because he was practically bouncing off the walls during their performance, playing at a breakneck speed with such quick vocals that it was difficult to understand them at points (particularly during the song about his ADHD, 'I Can't Focus', an unstoppable force that times in at just over a minute). When you consider how fast some of their songs were it becomes less surprising that they managed to perform ten in half an hour, but for the songs to be so short and yet so accomplished is more of a shock. It was definitely a funny moment when Josh asked if any of the members of the crowd had ADHD too, then admitting "I asked that in Germany... They don't have that word there yet!". 

I purchased the 'K', 'E' and 'Double N' EPs after their set, and I've already been listening to them on repeat. The tracks are just as catchy recorded as they are in a live environment: perhaps even more so on the aforementioned 'What Happened To My Sex', an overly repetitive yet constantly thrashy closer to their set, featuring Josh Weller stood in the middle of the crowd forcing a fan to hold his microphone so he could continue to play his guitar.

The second song they played and the song that features Aicha on lead vocals aren't on any of their EPs, and with Josh sharing that they'd "just made a record with Bill Stevenson" (of The Descendents fame) hopefully it won't be too long until that's released.

Setlist:

Cool As You

- (I Hate You and You Hate Me)

All Cried Out

What Happened To The Radio

Hollywood

- (My Favourite Ex)

I Can't Focus

New Bad Habit

Fucked In Love

What Happened To My Sex

I hadn't heard of Swedish rockers Normandie until they were announced as main support for this tour. Not too surprising when you consider the fact that this was the first night of their second ever UK tour (the first being a small tour of clubs and pubs back in July) but more of a shock when you realise that the band have been together for three years, their debut album 'Inguz' having been released via InVogue Records back in March.
Despite the fact that they had the same amount of time on stage as Kenneths - both support bands having merely half an hour each, to allow Yellowcard to play a monstrous two hour set - the crowd seemed livelier during Normandie than they were during the openers set.
Well, I say 'livelier' but I don't mean by much.
A large chunk of the crowd must have been familiar with the band, based off of the amount of people with their hands in the air, waving and singing along at vocalist Phillip Strand's command without a second thought. But the majority of people in the room still seemed unmoved and disinterested by everything that was happening up on the stage. Phillip asked the crowd to split in half during 'Calling', and after much persuasion and gesturing they did... But when the breakdown that should have signified the start of the movement hit, the gap in the floor stayed embarrassingly empty. A couple of people danced into it, and there was some half-hearted moshing, but it didn't take long before Phillip relented, telling the crowd to fill the hard-earned gap in.
I did find my attention slipping throughout their set, and that might have been because the focus was so solidly on the music. Phillip only stopped the set to talk to the crowd at a couple of points (one of those being an exclamation of "Thank god for Nando's!", a sentiment often expressed by bands coming from overseas) and one of the things I like most about shows is the interaction with the crowd, particularly when it's a band that I don't know too well. The funky echoing effect layered on Phillip's vocals was interesting to start with, but after it appeared in a few songs the novelty soon wore off, and I found myself yearning to hear something different.
That'll come with time. All of the songs that were played are from their debut album, and when they have a few albums worth of material to choose from it'll shake up the sound of their set remarkably. I'm going to keep an eye on this band, because they have a lot of promise, but it'll take something special from their second album to really get me on board.

Setlist:

Fight

Awakening

Starting New

Believe

Calling

Loop Hole

Collide

After twenty years and ten full-length studio albums, 2017 spells the end for Yellowcard. It's been a rocky road, including a two year hiatus, the departure of at least eight members and a three year spell without a full-time drummer, but after getting through all of that the band - vocalist Ryan Key, violinist Sean Mackin, guitarist Ryan Mendez and bassist Josh Portman - have finally decided to call it a day.
Starting off the set with a tape playing through the venue PA system, it announced "We're here this evening to say farewell, before rocking your faces into the night". It wasn't all doom and gloom, the band taking the opportunity to make fun of concert goers ("every song that you have the desire to film is already available online. The concert experience is greatly enhanced when the band can see your faces, and not your mobile devices" and "if you'd rather watch this show through an LED rectangle than the miracle of the human eyeball, you're fucking blowing it" being two particularly memorable quotes) and this tongue-in-cheek way of starting their set put a smile on everyone's face, despite the sad reason for the show.
It contrasted directly with their intro music, which featured an extremely slowed down, almost 'Welcome To The Black Parade'-esque piano version of 'Ocean Avenue' welcoming the band on to the stage. I had goosebumps instantly. Knowing that I wasn't able to stay for the entirety of the show and that 'Ocean Avenue' was their closing song, it was poignant that I got to hear it in some form - particularly because it was my first time seeing a headline show from a band that I've seen a few times at festivals over the years.
Opening with 'Believe' reassured those that were upset or distraught about the band ending, Ryan stepping back from the microphone to let the crowd perform the repeating "Everything is gonna be alright" chant, a huge smile on his face. With months of this final world tour remaining, it might be a while before the band have a chance to feel sad about their decision: receiving this kind of reaction on a nightly basis would put you on top of the world.
Even though the crowd were much more energetic for Yellowcard than they had been for Kenneths and Normandie combined, Ryan still wasn't happy with the response. After 'Always Summer' he shouted "it's our first show in your country, wake it up and then speed it up a little bit!", getting the crowd to bounce along in a constant sea of movement during 'Five Become Four'. The energy level had raised, but Ryan still took the opportunity to tease the crowd, joking "I just feel like they could be handing out sleeping pills in Bristol tonight," and after raising his voice above the boos and jeers from the crowd, he explained "but that could be because we just came from Germany, where they ripped so hard!". Building the crowd up into a competitive frenzy, I'm sure the rest of the set must have had an explosive reaction.
Sadly I had to leave right after they played two songs from their recently released eponymous album, both of which received a muted reaction in contrast to their older, well-loved material.
Ryan acknowledged that the newer songs were likely to be less well-known, admitting "there's a great many of you that we haven't seen in quite a while [...] we have put out like six records in the last five years! We might play a couple songs you don't know the words to tonight" before asking the crowd to "make up whatever fucking words you want and sing them to us as loud as you fucking can". The audience were polite through both 'Rest In Peace' and 'What Appears', but with the songs both focusing on the end of the band ('What Appears' beginning by referencing "slow, steady hands waving the last goodbye") they brought the mood down when compared to the older, classic pop-punk songs that they began the set with.
They took a moment to thank Like Torches, who have loaned their drummer - Jimmy Brunkvist - to the band for the entirety of their final tour, and he fits in so comfortably with the band that you can see they've had a long friendship. Yellowcard are scene stalwarts: they've been through it all, and they've inspired many of the bands who are currently on the rise. It's going to be a shame for them to finish, but they deserve a rest after all the hard work they've put in over the last two decades.
Thank you, Yellowcard. Rest in peace.

Setlist:

Believe

Lights and Sounds

Way Away

Always Summer

Five Become Four

Rest In Peace

What Appears

Rough Landing, Holly

Awakening (*)

Light Up The Sky (*)

Sing For Me (*) 

Transmission Home (*) 

A Place We Set Afire (*) 

Lift A Sail (*) 

Gifts and Curses (*) 

Cut Me, Mick (*) 

Breathing (*)

Empty Apartment (*)
Hang You Up (*) 

Be The Young (*) 

Holly Wood Died (*) 

-

Only One (*) 

Ocean Avenue (*)

(*) setlist according to setlist.fm

The Hunna - Thekla, Bristol, 26/09/2016

I missed the beginning of The Night Café (thanks to the time for doors being wrong on the tickets - awkward!) but the part of their set that I managed to catch was brilliant. Sounding like a blend of Two Door Cinema Club and The Wombats, their ridiculously catchy songs were a great way to start the night. It's impossible to listen to them and not have fun, which makes them the perfect opening act, particularly when you hear the clear and unique vocal tone of their singer.
I'm not sure how many songs they played at the beginning of their set, but I managed to hear four tracks in full when I arrived.
I think the first of those four must have been a new and unreleased song, because I've been searching around their Soundcloud account and haven't managed to track it down. It's a shame, because it was the song that appealed to me the most: with its catchy hook exclaiming "I won't change with the seasons" it's certainly an appropriate song for this time of the year, with the nights getting longer and the temperature rapidly dropping.
Closing with 'Mixed Signals', a song that they only released a couple of weeks ago, didn't go down as well as the band were hoping. This could have been due to other attendees having the incorrect time for doors on their tickets, but the crowd for The Night Café was sparse and unenthusiastic when they encouraged the audience to clap along.
This time next year, a lot more people are going to have heard of The Night Café. Having recently supported Sundara Karma, as well as having this sod out run with The Hunna under their belts, tickets for their recently announced UK headline tour are going to be flying out.

Setlist:
-
Together

Addicted
Mixed Signals

The start of Blaenavon's set was a little bit dry, but by the end they'd transformed into a tornado of barely contained energy. Moving from 'Let's Pray' - a carefree and happy tune that wouldn't sound out of place on 'Made In Chelsea', directly at odds with the darkness of the lyrics, the chant of "Let's pray, let's pray, let's pray for death" - to the thrashing and relentless climax of 'Prague', Blaenavon sound like hardcore souls stuck in the body of an indie band.
It's going to be interesting to see which direction they choose to favour in the future, because at the moment the contrast is a little jarring - particularly in a live environment. The enthusiasm that they have for their music is palpable though, and when vocalist Ben Gregory whipped off his guitar at the end of 'Prague' and threw himself into the crowd it certainly showed how pumped they get during their live shows.
Having been together for four years, I'm surprised Blaenavon haven't gotten themselves more recognition in that time. Despite the fact that their music isn't cohesive it's definitely well-performed, and all three members are very talented musically. I hadn't listened to Blaenavon before this show, but they've cemented themselves on my radar now.

Setlist:
Hell Is My Head
Let's Pray
Orthodox Man
Take Care
I Will Be The World
Prague

After watching The Hunna's full set at Reading festival, I knew they were going to pull something special out of the bag for their headline tour. I hadn't anticipated that something being a sixteen song set in which they played their debut album 'The 100' in its entirety (even performing the four bonus +1HUNNA tracks).
Considering the fact that The Hunna have only been a band since last year, a set like this is impressive. It's unusual for a year old band to even have 16 songs, let alone have the stamina to play them all live. Add to that the fact that they have a fanbase demanding a live set of that length at this early stage (coming in at just over an hour), who are already so passionate about the guys that they know every word to the album they released a month ago, who raced to be the first at the merch table when vocalist Ryan Valentino announced the band were coming straight out to meet everyone after their set.
These four lads from Hertfordshire are inspiring a ridiculous amount of dedication in their fans (the self-proclaimed Hunna Squad). You don't often find bands that have this level of support so early in their careers, and it added to the sense of adrenaline in the room: every single person at this sold out show knew that they were experiencing the start of something. Just how big that something is going to get remains to be seen, but this time next year I think everyone are going to know the name of The Hunna.
I'm certainly not going to forget this set. From the moment their intro tape started playing - The Lonely Island's 'I'm On a Boat', cheesy but very well received  - the crowd didn't stop moving, singing and screaming (the latter spiking when Ryan decided to take his shirt off midway through the set, followed by the other band members at the start of the encore). Contrasting already popular songs 'You & Me' and 'She's Casual' with the stripped back 'Sycamore Tree' (my personal highlight of the evening) and the dance-centric 'Piece By Piece' (soon to be the next single), The Hunna showed that they're certainly jack-of-all-trades when it comes to tempo and style. Despite the fact that some of their songs are similar (opener 'We Could Be' with its lyric crooning about bonfires, and 'Bonfire' being, suprisingly enough, about bonfires, showing some repetitive themes in the lyrics) it's almost impossible to care when you're having this much fun.
The constant cries of "ONE FUCKIN' HUNNA!" got tiring towards the end of the set (imagine if One Direction kept screaming "Directioners!" or twenty one pilots took their time on stage to yell "clique!") and it's a quirk that I'm hoping is going to die a speedy death: it certainly shows their gratitude for their "squad", but it's irritating when it's inserted after every other song. For a band that are experiencing such a sharp trajectory, they're more humble than I'd expected they would be, taking the time to shout out to a girl at the very back of the room, check in with everyone on the balcony and thank anyone who purchased their album (which, in a ballsy or stupid move, they weren't selling at the show).
Finishing with a three song encore - ignoring the cries from the crowd for "one more song" - sent The Hunna off on a very high note. You'd think their energy would be starting to flag after being on stage for an hour, but thanks to their relentless touring schedule and constant festival appearances, this band are not so easily fazed. Bounding back onto the stage, Ryan easily got the crowd chanting along to the catchy 'Rock My Way' chorus (and I still have "are you gonna you gonna you gonna you gonna you gonna rock my way" cycling round my head today), and after the moshing subsided at the end of the song to ear splitting cheers, he shared "it's gonna be hard to beat Bristol". Vocalists normally say this at the end of every show - it adds to the competitive nature of the crowds - but after seeing a response like this I genuinely believe it'll be hard to beat. Bristol was only the third date on this 11 date tour, so I'm interested to see how crazy the crowds get later in the run.
Closing with 'Bad For You', which Ryan introduced by announcing "this is where the ship gets sunk", I was surprised that the set could get any crazier, but this band definitely know how to craft their setlist. I thought they'd peaked at multiple points, only for them to continue getting louder and more energetic.
With how far The Hunna have come in their first year, I wouldn't be surprised if they were selling out arenas by the time they were ready to release their second album. I don't know how they've done it, but they've managed to get an unprecedented amount of attention in their first twelve months. Here's to the second year.

Setlist:
We Could Be
Still Got Blood
Waiting
You & Me
Never Enough
World Is Ours
Be Young
Piece By Piece
Alive
She's Casual
Brother
Sycamore Tree
Bonfire
-
Rock My Way
Coming Home
Bad For You

Don Broco - Priorities x Automatic, Motion Bristol, 15-16/08/2016

Normally I would write these album in full shows as two separate reviews, but due to a lack of time and a supremely busy week approaching, I thought it would be worth combining this into the ultimate Don Broco album in full review post. 

London upstarts Massmatiks were the support for every night of the tour, so going into this I knew I was going to be seeing them twice. I wasn't surprised at all that they nearly played the same set both nights (choosing to switch out one song towards the end of the set) because they've only been around since 2012 - they don't have enough material to be able to do two completely different sets.

Despite tweeting the band to find out their stage time, I still missed the beginning the first night: I'm not sure if a lot of people decided to turn up after doors opened or if the queue was just that crazy, but for the first song and a half of their set I was waiting outside to get my tickets checked. I could vaguely hear them, because the doors to the venue opened out into the courtyard where we were waiting, so I'm fairly certain the setlist is correct (if you were there and it's wrong, please let me know!).

When I finally got through the door I was blown away by the ferociousness of Massmatiks onstage attitude. I've listened to both 'Gunning For You' and '4am' as these shows approached, wanting to get myself familiar with some of their material, but as studio recordings they're verging on lackluster. 

At a live show life is breathed into the songs, and based on the crowd reaction to both this is definitely a band that you need to experience rather than passively listen to.
I really appreciated getting to hear more of their material. 'Blank Walls' blew me away with its social commentary about keyboard warriors and the fact that "suddenly everyone knows everything about politics recently, and now the football's started everyone's a football manager, when really they know fuck all!". The catchy refrain "no one tells a lion how to hunt, no one tells a fish how to swim" has been cycling round my head for the last three days: their lyrics are simple, but because of that they're memorable and it won't take many listens before you're singing along to every word.
There's a video for 'Independence (A Lack Of)' on Youtube, but I hadn't listened to it before, so five of the songs in this seven song set were brand new to me. I wasn't surprised by the reaction to that as a closer - with it's "brap-ba-da-da" singalong it's infectious and impossible to resist dancing to. Vocalist George Peploe also managed to demonstrate the potential that he already has as a frontman by getting the crowd to crouch down and jump back up again, announcing "we've done this at every show so far and it's fucking gone off!". When small bands try to get the crowd involved in that sort of action you often find that the first few rows of people will happily get involved, but the majority of people will sit it out: thanks to the enthusiasm of Don Broco's fans and the small venue, almost everyone in attendance was down as soon as George suggested it. They're very lucky to be experiencing this kind of reaction so early on, and if they keep the ball rolling and release more music soon (particularly the aforementioned 'Blank Walls', which George shared they're soon going into the studio to record) it's going to be no time at all before these guys explode. 

When George challenged the audience to go home and listen to the songs they'd already released, stating "you got 24 hours to learn some of 'em", I knew the set they did on their second night was going to be even more energetic.
Luckily I managed to get in to the venue for the start, but with the queue still going around the block outside the room got sweatier and tighter as their set progressed. The crowd were a lot more involved the second night, moshing their way through 'Gunning For You' and chanting along to almost every word of 'Blank Walls'.
Whereas the first night they played a song about setting foot in a club and just wanting to go home (which George proudly announced had "a really filthy riff in"), the second night they switched it out, replacing it with the Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes-esque 'Don't Be A Coward'. With George pacing up and down on the stage roaring into the microphone, you could definitely see Frank's stage presence coming through. Massmatiks have a lot of choice in front of them, because their heavier songs are just as well received as '4am' with its singable hook: at this point they could go in any direction, or keep experimenting with the range of music that they're already beginning to produce.
I'd thought the reaction to 'Independence (A Lack Of)' couldn't be better than it was the first night, but that was before the appearance of Don Broco's vocalist, Rob Damiani. Bursting on to the stage and encouraging the crowd to bounce along with him, it only took minutes before both Rob and George were diving onto the crowd and surfing over them. It's always great when the last night of a tour is a celebration of the friendship that the bands have forged over the preceding weeks, and thanks to this stage invasion it's not going to be a set that I easily forget.

I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on Massmatiks as they release more music: there's something different about these guys, and if they keep doing their own thing they could make a real impact.

Setlist (Night 1):

Bad Luck

Blow

Gunning For You

Blank Walls

- (One Foot)

4am

Independence (A Lack Of)

Setlist (Night 2):
Bad Luck
Blow
Gunning For You
Blank Walls
- (Don't Be A Coward)
4am
Independence (A Lack Of)

When Rob Damiani announced "might never, ever play" a lot of these songs again, the appreciation for Priorities went through the roof. Opening with the title track meant the majority of the crowd were already involved, but knowing that it was the last tour that was going to feature certain songs - the final show playing the debut album in full - the attendees rallied behind the band and were 100% on board for the rest of the night.
I've been to a lot of Don Broco shows. I'm not just saying that: these were my 11th and 12th shows respectively. I've been there since before 'Priorities' was released, following the band through multiple appearances at Reading Festival, a triumphant headline set at Brixton O2 Academy and a surprisingly successful return to Download back in June.
I fell in love with these songs first time around, so getting to hear them live (uninterrupted by recent material which found itself confined to the encore, including 'You Wanna Know' and 'Money Power Fame' - both songs which were released in between the two albums) gave me a lot to reminisce on.
I knew I wasn't going to be able to write a subjective review about this first show, because I'm so emotionally attached to this album. It's a very strong debut: with its signature 'Cheeky Nandos' lyrical style it practically birthed the recent uprising of bro-rock bands (it's becoming a genre, don't think about arguing). Combining that relatable, matey attitude with Simon Delaney's funky guitar rhythms and the complementary vocal coming from drummer Matt Donnelly - it all cemented the fact that these four Bedford lads were going to be something very special.
Looking back on this album now, almost four years to the day since its release, it's obvious that good things have happened. To being touring two albums in full and selling out every show on the tour is no small achievement, particularly when the musical style between the two is so vastly different. There's the rocky punch in the face that is 'Priorities', contrasting to the "let's drink punch by the pool" that is 'Automatic'. People who have been fans from the band from the beginning still want to support them, while they're gaining new fans by the bucketload (as exemplified by the fact that 'Automatic' managed to enter the album charts at #6 upon its release).
I can't critique a moment of this set. The songs worked the first time around, and they still work now. The appearance of 'In My World' - which Rob admitted the band had had to learn specifically for this tour as they'd never played it live before - was refreshing, particularly when you look at where it sat in the set. Preceded by the frenetic 'Let's Go Back To School', followed by 'Fancy Dress' with its huge circle pit and ferocious bite, it gave everyone a second to catch their breath and enjoy a toned down singalong. It definitely made sense of the fact that the band weren't playing the album in the order it was originally released - it makes a lot more sense for them to be arranged like this at a live show.
It was disappointing when Rob shared "we're gonna take a little time after this and not do a headline tour straight away", because it does seem as though they're starting to get pigeon-holed as a support band: there was the uber-successful run with You Me At Six, followed by lengthy runs with 5 Seconds of Summer and Bring Me The Horizon. But after playing two albums in full this many nights in a row, I think the band deserve a bit of a break. I'm hoping they're going to go away and start working on more new music: we need an album three, and we need it as soon as they can release it.
Oh, and talking of new music...
I was only lucky enough to hear 'Everybody' on the first night. The set had quite a late finish time, and with a train at 10:35 I wasn't able to stay until the end of either show, which was disappointing (I didn't think I'd ever need to leave a Don Broco set without hearing 'Thug Workout') but we risked staying through the interminable 8 minute break between the band leaving the stage and returning to play their newest single.
If you haven't heard 'Everybody' yet, I highly suggest you do that. As soon as I heard it I was struck by the fact that it could comfortably fit on 'Priorities' - compared to the relaxed nature of recent tracks, it's full to the brim with the swagger that inhabits their early songs. The "what you waiting for" chants don't work as well live (yet - it has only been out for a matter of weeks so that's something that's going to grow as the song gets older) but other than that the song is already going down brilliantly.
Two things about it really impressed me: Matt Donnelly's note-perfect vocal opening, and Rob Damiani violently screaming the lyrics "we are fucked this time, fuck!". I've always loved 'Thug Workout' because it's completely uncontrolled, hinting towards Don Broco having heavier roots, and this almost-screamo moment mimicked that intensity in a more mature and developed way. If Don Broco choose to go back down the heavier root with their new material, I'm going to be more than happy.  

Setlist:

Priorities

Back in the Day

Yeah Man

Hold On 

Here's The Thing

Let's Go Back To School

In My World

Fancy Dress

You Got It Girl

Whole Truth

Actors

-

Everybody 

You Wanna Know

Money Power Fame

Thug Workout

The turnout was obviously going to be pretty much equal because of the fact that both shows were sold out, but I'd expected the reaction to Automatic to be tamer, particularly after experiencing the insanity that was the first night.
Yes, the album charted rather highly, but musically it's much calmer than 'Priorities' so I didn't know how it would translate in full live. I'd seen odd songs from the album live, but never such a large, uninterrupted chunk of them - it always seemed to be the songs from 'Priorities' that would breathe life back into the crowd after the newer songs gave them a bit of chill out time.
That doesn't seem to be the case with all fans, and I actually think the 'Automatic' evening was a much sweatier experience, even if it was less rowdy. There wasn't as much moshing but with a large portion of the crowd jumping up and down constantly, the temperature soared. 'Priorities' is a much more physical album, but 'Automatic' is definitely a vocal one.
Songs like 'Fire', 'You Wanna Know' and 'Nerve' beg you to sing along, while 'Superlove' and 'Keep on Pushing' are just waiting for you to dance. I've listened to the album a lot in the past but I haven't listened to it in full very often - it's one of those collections of songs that I like to dip in and out of, rather than experiencing in its entirety every time. Experiencing it like this has definitely made me reevaluate my opinion on it: before I was a little lukewarm, but it makes more sense to me as an album now.
Being the last night of the tour, it was very special to experience. Massmatiks had to leave early, so they had the tour photo taken in the middle of the set rather than at the end, and based on all of the hugging on stage it seems that lifelong friendships have been made over the last couple of weeks. It wasn't all bittersweet, though, with the end of tour pranks being out in force: Rob apologised in case he was pulling weird faces while he was singing, confiding "our lovely guitar tech Jase stealthily put a condom on my microphone," complaining "it's going to smell this whole set!". He then shared the best prank, "the stupidest most infantile joke", that he knew with the crowd: "lay a condom on their shoulder when they're not looking [...] they're having a conversation and they think they're bossing it, when there's a lone condom...".
There were also two beautiful, fan-centered moments later in the set. Rob dedicated 'What You Do To Me' to Ashley, who drew the band in the recent sketches of them as cowboy outlaws that they shared on their Instagram, stating that her artwork was "the coolest we've ever seen in person". They also invited a fan up on stage with them before 'Money Power Fame' - it turns out her appendix had almost burst the night before, and after staying in hospital until 7am she'd returned to the venue to start getting ready for this night. Don Broco are a band that deserve that kind of dedication: their hard work is definitely paying off in a big way.
I managed to stay until the end of 'Nerve', so heard the album in full, but couldn't wait for the encore due to the train time: I can imagine it was an explosive, and extremely memorable, way to end what's been a brilliant tour. Not many bands can pull off album in full shows this early in their career (let alone playing two!) and it proves how ballsy these guys are. I can't wait to see what they do next.

Setlist:
Superlove
Automatic
Keep on Pushing
Fire
Tough on You
You Wanna Know
What You Do To Me
Let You Get Away
I Got Sick
Further
Money Power Fame
Nerve
-
Everybody
Thug Workout

Don Broco were recently announced as the main support for Bring Me The Horizon's November tour, and I'm so grateful that I have tickets to it. I've only just seen these two shows, and I'm already ready for another one! Seeing this band in small venues always reinvigorates my love for them, and after the huge festival appearances I've experienced recently it was so lovely to get back to basics. 

Escape The Fate - Thekla, Bristol, 08/06/2016

I booked tickets to this Download warm-up performance before I knew I was going to Download, so this is the first of two times I'm seeing Escape The Fate this week!

Opening act Heaven Asunder announced that they'd be appearing a matter of days before the show, but I was already familiar with their name - hailing from Bristol, they're held in high regard in the local touring circuit.
I had seen the band live before, but I couldn't remember their set at all. I was surprised by just how metal they were; when the first words out of the mouth of vocalist Matt Boyd's mouth were "let me see you guys bang your fucking heads!" it was intimidating to say the least. Co-vocalist and guitarist Ally Roberts definitely made their sound a bit more palatable, adding a harmonizing vocal to the unbreakable roar emanating from Matt - if they'd only had the one vocalist I don't think I would have enjoyed their set as much as I did.
I will happily admit that I wasn't too sure about them at the beginning of their stage time. Their first two songs blurred in together in an unbroken stream of noise, and I was very daunted: I'm not a huge fan of heavier music, particularly in a live environment. However, their new song 'Hell Away' managed to sway my opinion, as it stood out from their other songs and showed a departure from their other material which was indistinguishable. The three songs that followed it were also more enjoyable, with more intricate guitar work compared to the ceaseless strumming, and by the end of their set I was wishing that they had a longer stage time.
If you live in the area around Bristol, I highly suggest you keep an eye out for Heaven Asunder: especially if you like your metal music! 

Main support hadn't been announced when I purchased tickets, but when Fearless Vampire Killers - sorry, FVK - were added to the line-up I was disappointed. I'm a fan of their older music but I haven't been able to gel with their new material: I popped in for a couple of songs when they performed at Takedown last March and saw just half of a song at Warped UK because I find it monotonous in a live environment.
Despite the fact that they only played for half an hour, I could already find myself getting restless. Co-vocalists Kier Kemp and Laurence Beveridge are both very talented and have a great on-stage chemistry, and musically the band are faultless... There's just something about their newer songs that make them remarkably average. I was happy that Laurence was finally taking more of a lead vocal on the songs, but the constant switching of vocalists means there's no cohesion in their set at all: it makes it rather uncomfortable and disjointed to listen to.
The band have an extremely avid fanbase and they came out in force to this show. When Heaven Asunder asked who was excited for FVK and who couldn't wait for Escape The Fate, FVK had a much more explosive reaction. The crowd were squealing at Kier's jokes, chanting the "Neon in the Dance Halls" refrain back to the band and jumping so energetically at every possible opportunity. You could feel how important they are to so many people: personally, I just don't understand the appeal.
I was surprised they only played for half an hour, as the majority of the crowd seemed to be attending for them and they definitely have enough material to play for a longer set. With old fan favourites 'Bow Ties on Dead Guys' and 'Could We Burn Darling' both missing, combined with the recent abandonment of the Fearless Vampire Killers moniker, the band are taking steps to distance themselves from their early days, which is a shame - instead of standing out as unique leaders of the goth resurgence, FVK are fading into the background. 

Setlist:
Braindead
Neon in the Dance Halls
Like Bruises
Maeby
Regret
All Hallow's Evil

I am surprised I haven't been to see Escape The Fate before, because 'This War Is Ours' is still one of my favourite albums of all time. I haven't followed their new releases too closely, but the moment this show was announced I knew I had to get tickets: hearing 'The Flood' and '10 Miles Wide' live was not an opportunity I was going to pass up. 

The moment 'Just a Memory' started, I was startled. Craig Mabbitt viciously spat into his microphone, screaming the first verse in an unrestrained scream that shocked my eardrums. I couldn't remember this from Escape The Fate! I could only remember the pop-punk-esque singalongs and catchy lyrical content from their second album: I hadn't realised it would be a metal show.
Suddenly the support slot from Heaven Asunder made complete sense. I'd thought that they were too heavy for the bill, but it dawned on me they were perfect. Listening to the screaming vocal earlier in the evening had put me in the mood for this heavier version of the band, and I adjusted quickly.
The special thing about Escape The Fate is that they're not afraid to play with genres, push the boundaries of their sound and challenge their fans to keep coming back for more. 'Fire It Up' has a country-esque sound to Craig's vocal, while the newer material sways from the unmentionably heavy to the soft singalongs I'd come to expect - most notably 'Live For Today' and 'Remember Every Scar', both of which have inspirational lyrics and a much more restrained but technical musical style. Added in a surprise cover of Guns 'N' Roses track 'Paradise City' was certainly the biggest shock of the evening, but based on the fact that every person in the room started singing and swaying along it was also the perfect choice. If I was right and some people did only come to the show to see FVK, at least Escape The Fate added in a song that was bound to appeal to every attendee.
Of course I was the most impressed by the early material, and the fact that '10 Miles Wide' and 'The Flood' still sound note perfect almost ten years after their release is a testament to the band's writing. They might not have released any songs that have surpassed the popularity of their earlier songs, but they have a timeless feel and still appeal despite their age. 'Ashley' making it into the set surprised me - based on the heaviness of the evening I hadn't been expecting them to play the closest thing to a ballad they've ever written - but it reminded me exactly why I used to like this band so much, and I think I've fallen in love with Escape The Fate all over again. I still prefer their songs with clean rather than unclean vocals, but by closing their main set with the catchy yet vicious 'Hate Me', it definitely convinced me to give their new music another chance.
This certainly wasn't a perfect set, filled with problems with the drum kit that led to multiple breaks for Craig to talk to the crowd, but that's the point of a warm-up show: they're meant to help iron out the kinks and get you ready for the big day! If you haven't heard the band before and you're attending Download festival, I hope you'll pop along to their stage for a little bit on Saturday afternoon. These songs grip you in a live environment and will definitely make you think twice about dismissing a band who have been sadly ignored by the scene in recent years.
I don't think Craig Mabbitt will be stage diving off of any balconies at Download - more's the pity - and you won't get to sing happy birthday to touring guitarist Max Georgiev, but it will definitely be a fun and memorable show worth attending. 

Setlist:

Just a Memory
Fire It Up
Ungrateful
You're Insane
The Flood
10 Miles Wide
Live For Today
Alive
Ashley
Paradise City cover
Something
Remember Every Scar
Gorgeous Nightmare
One For The Money
-
This War Is Ours (The Guillotine II)

Now I'm off to bed to get ready for Download tomorrow - see you on the other side! 

The Summer Set - Thekla, Bristol, 10/05/16

It's been a few years since I last saw The Summer Set, but their show was one of the most fun I'd ever experienced. You can beat a good pop punk show, especially when the singalongs are so catchy and addictive. 

So when they announced their new album 'Stories For Monday', and the tour that was coinciding with it, I was ecstatic that I'd be able to make it to one of the dates. I was even happier when I found out they were doing VIP packages that included a two song acoustic set before the show!

The band only flew in the previous night, following a headline show that they performed in California, so they were quite understandably exhausted. The acoustic set only featured Brian Logan Dales and guitarist John Gomez, with the other members of the band coming out to hang out with everyone after the two songs had been played.
Everything was running behind schedule (the entire evening ended up half an hour behind the planned stage times!) but they still took the time to explain the meanings behind the two songs that the crowd chose: 'When the Party Ends' and 'All My Friends'. Brian hailed 'When the Party Ends' as a sad song, but noted that a lot of their fans call it the most romantic song that they've ever written, while he joked that 'All My Friends' was about "every girl I thought it was a good idea to date", sharing that he wrote it with his friend Sean Foreman from 3OH!3. The last line in the song is "Promise that this is the last time that I listen to my friends", but Brian jokingly changed it to "the last time that I play this song on a boat" - Thekla is one of the only floating music venues in the world, so it's certainly a different venue to play.
Both songs were performed beautifully - the band have been together for nine years, so that's hardly surprising, but an acoustic environment means that you're completely exposed. For them to be as good as they were the day after flying all the way from America? That's the sign of an extremely talented band, and I'm glad that I was there to experience it.

Setlist:

When the Party Ends
All My Friends

I hadn't heard of SYKES before they were announced as support, but I really enjoyed their indie-pop sound. They lent a very chilled out vibe to the evening and were the perfect way to start off the night - particularly as their set started off relaxed and became much more energetic towards the end, naturally getting the crowd moving.
Sometimes with opening acts they try too hard too quickly, putting the most frantic songs at the start to hook people, but I think the way that SYKES crafted their set was ingenious. The first two songs ('Chances' and 'Gold Dust') were very laid back, perfect for driving late at night or playing in the background on a long summer evening. As a lot of the audience were still getting let into the building (doors opened half an hour late, despite the fact that it was pouring down with rain) they didn't miss the exciting aspects of the set, and instead it drew the audience in before hooking them later on with songs like 'Lifeline'. The most captivating moment of the evening was definitely the song after 'Lifeline', of whose title I'm not certain - vocalist
I haven't been able to find a few of the songs they played in their set online - I'm not sure if they're brand new, or if I'm looking in the wrong place, but if you attended the show and can give me any more of the titles please leave them down in the comments. The songs that I can't identify were actually the ones that I enjoyed the most, which is why I'm wondering if they're new - it shows a development in the style and sound that will get them more attention.
I was surprised at the fact that SYKES were from London, because they definitely seem like an American band - they have that confident, cool attitude that you often don't find in UK indie acts. They're already gaining quite a lot of attention in the states, which is probably how they secured this support slot (as well as their position on Warped US for the entire summer!) but I think this tour could do wonders for raising their profile in their home country. 

I've popped the lyrical segments that I managed to catch during the show into the setlist gaps - hopefully I'll be able to fill it in sooner rather than later.

Setlist:

Chances
Gold Dust
- (Want You Tonight)
Lifeline
- (Let's Go)
- (Grave Mistakes)
Best Thing

I'd nearly forgotten The LaFontaines existed: I saw them opening for The Blackout nearly four years ago, and they only released their debut album, 'Class' last year. Forming in Glasgow back in 2010, The LaFontaines have been taking their time - but this year they followed the album with their first release for Record Store Day (the double A-side single 'Paper Chase/Class') and it's solidly marked them as ones to watch.
If you haven't heard of The LaFontaines, they're a unique and almost indescribable band. Having two vocalists isn't rare these days, but when one of them (namely Kerr Okan) adds a reggae-rap style that rivals The King Blues, and their co-vocalist (John Gerard, who is also the band's bassist) has a tone that's smooth as silk... It's a combination to be reckoned with.
I wasn't sure how the crowd was going to react. I mean, compared to The Summer Set and SYKES, The LaFontaines are definitely the odd ones out on this pop-heavy billing, both due to their rap sensibilities and their heavier sound. But John is taking more of a shared approach to the vocal than he used to, and that adds to the appeal of the band's sound. Kerr's full-on rap assault can be a bit daunting, but having the catchy choruses to break up the wall of sound is relieving - particularly on 'Under the Storm', in which John stole the show.
Even the older material received a really great reaction. I could remember 'Pon de Floor' from the last time I saw them, which surprised me - I didn't think my memory was all that great! - and the instantaneous jumping proved that while a lot of people might not have known who they were, they had easily converted them into fans. Compared to SYKES with their chilled style, and The Summer Set who are pros at the catchy singalong, The LaFontaines were the band who got people dancing and easily warmed everyone up.
Kerr also had the crowd laughing throughout their set, because he's a very funny frontman. As I mentioned earlier, Thekla is actually a boat - Kerr apologised in case he became sick during the set, claiming that he was "very fucking seasick" (despite the fact that you really can't feel the boat moving) but he insisted, shouting "it still feels like it's rocking to me, so clear the way!". He also promoted the fact that the band were selling merch (including the leftover stock of that RSD vinyl I mentioned earlier... Guess who caved and bought pretty vinyl?!) but the crowd at the back of the room were talking too loudly, so he shouted "the people at the back are talking and this is the most important speech!" getting a lot of laughs from the audience. Despite the fact that it was obvious a large chunk of the room weren't paying attention, Kerr didn't let it phase him - I've never seen anyone happier to be on a stage, based off of his beaming grins. Taking multiple pictures during closer 'Shark', it was obvious that Kerr wasn't taking it for granted - neither were the rest of the band, because they were trying hard and playing brilliantly, not wasting a moment.
They might have been taking things slowly for the past few years, but I wouldn't be surprised if big things started happening for the band following this tour. It's exposing them to a wide range of new listeners, and their style and sound went down a treat at this first show: if the rest of the tour dates go as brilliantly, I think this tour belongs to The LaFontaines.  

Setlist:

Slow Elvis
Under the Storm
Class
Pon de Floor
Junior Dragon
King
Castles
Paper Chase
Shark

I will admit, I didn't listen to 'Stories For Monday' before I came to this show.

"But Alyce, you were only just saying how excited you were about it!"

I know, I know. But I thought it might be nice to hear the songs for the first time in a live environment, so I could really experience them. The band have been quite vocal about the fact that this album nearly didn't exist because they officially broke up for a couple of weeks last autumn, so I thought I'd wait to see the songs that saved them in action on a stage.
The acoustic set earlier in the evening was a wonderful treat, and hearing the new songs acoustically was brilliant, but they work best how they were originally intended: catchy riffs, insane drum beats and Brian Logan Dales using his voice to its full potential.
As soon as they opened with 'Figure Me Out' - the song that they used to launch the new album - I had chills. It's definitely a song that unites people and it's easy to relate to ("I believe there's more to life than all my problems, maybe there's still hope for me to start again") but hearing everyone screaming the words back was an intense moment.
The main thing you need to do at one of The Summer Set's shows is sing along. Okay, it's also nice if you dance and have fun, but their lyrics are crafted to be screamed to, particularly when you look at songs like 'Jukebox (Life Goes On)', 'Chelsea' ...and 'Boomerang', even though the band hate the song and Brian announced it with "Let's get this one out of the way!". Even the new songs were getting a brilliant reception, which is impressive when you consider the fact that the album was only released just over a month ago: the reaction didn't dampen during 'The Night Is Young' or 'All My Friends', and if I hadn't known better I would have believed it was older material. The Summer Set write instant classics.
There's no doubt in my mind that the real hero of this evening was drummer Jess Bowen. She was in a car accident two days ago after their show, didn't have time to see a doctor before the flight, and was playing the show last night before her appointment today. Being a drummer, she needs her arms and back to be in good condition, but she was in a lot of pain! I was surprised she managed to make it through as many songs as she did (I'd been expecting a lot more of their set to be cut), and Brian praised her for being "up here and kicking your ass" despite her injuries.
They took out a couple of their newer songs, but because they'd already fitted so much in (as well as the three mentioned earlier, they put in 'Change My Mind', 'Jean Jacket' and 'Missin' You') it was still a wide range of songs from the new album, and I know I'm going to love listening to 'Stories For Monday' in full. All of the songs appeal for different reasons: there are the emotional ones that you can really feel, the ones you can sing and dance to, and the ones that are so repetitive I'm experiencing earworm syndrome from one listen.
The Summer Set are definitely clever when it comes to putting a setlist together. They're touring the new album so that took the priority, but they managed to squeeze in songs from all of the other albums that they've released - none of their eras were neglected, and they definitely play songs that the fans want to hear as well as songs that they want to play. I don't think I've ever seen a band happier to be on stage (particularly guitarist Josh Montgomery, who was proud to announce that the UK was his favourite place in the world).
I had to miss the last song and a half of their set to get to my train, but I've got it on good authority that they finished with 'Lightning in a Bottle' without stopping to go off stage before their encore, so it was a different show - hopefully Jess will be feeling better and the rest of the UK tour will go without a hitch.  

Setlist:

Figure Me Out
Jukebox (Life Goes On)
Boomerang
The Night Is Young
The Boys You Do (Get Back At You)
Rescue
Maybe Tonight
When We Were Young
All My Friends
Chelsea
Heart on the Floor
Change My Mind
Jean Jacket
Legendary
Missin' You
Lightning in a Bottle

The Feeling - Thekla, Bristol, 12/03/16

The Feeling's support act, Dani Sylvia, was actually their backing vocalist, so she ended up performing two sets in the evening. I thought it was a brilliant idea, because it gave her a chance to showcase her original material from her EP, 'Monologues', which was released last month.
I didn't enjoy Dani's first song, 'Perfection Generation', because it had a very heavy dance backing track. It felt very uncomfortable to start a set with something so full on, especially when the crowd weren't really reacting - it really needed a response from the audience, but it was too early in the set for people to be dancing. I was, however, instantly impressed with Dani's songwriting skills: the song is a great piece of social commentary, featuring the chorus "Comparison is our addiction, Perfection Generation".
I don't really listen to dance music or solo female vocalists, so this was a very unique live experience for me. Despite the fact that I wasn't in love with the first song, I really enjoyed the rest of the set. Dani has a brilliant skill for telling stories with her songs, ranging from 'Get Over Me', about a cheating ex-boyfriend, to 'Omniscient', which is a plea to a higher power. When performing 'Three', Dani joked that "this song is also about assholes, it's a running theme of the night", but she isn't one of those artists that gets stuck on one subject - all of the songs were very varied, whether in their meaning or in their style. 'Three' and 'Mother' were both slower songs, and hearing such range in one support slot was quite a surprise - there was no possible way to get the songs confused with each other, because they all stand out. 'Omniscient' was quite reminiscent of 'Turning Tables' by Adele, but the rest of the songs were very individual and with Dani's style shifting between singing and almost rapping it was interesting to see where the song was going to go next. She's definitely good at crafting a set, because all of the songs complemented each other and her half an hour stage time flew past.
Even with the brilliant lyrics and the beat-filled tracks, the songs wouldn't have sounded so great if it hadn't been for Dani's amazing voice. Whereas a lot of dance singers go over the top and do too many vocal tricks, Dani has full control of her voice and knows exactly what she's doing - there were no awkward theatrics, and I appreciated her much more because she didn't feel the need to sing wailing, endless high notes to impress the audience - she knows she's talented.
But as well as being a great writer and having an amazing voice, Dani was so humble and thankful that people had listened to her: it was very endearing. She mentioned the fact that she was selling her EP, putting 5% of each sale to a bone cancer charity - for an upcoming artist to already be raising money for charity shows what a great person she is.
I didn't manage to get a copy of the EP at the end of the show because the queue for Dani was so long, but I'm definitely going to download it. If you like dance music with meaning, this is definitely the artist for you - you can have fun to the songs, but they tell a story too. I would never have encountered Dani normally, but I'm very glad that I got to see her live.  

Setlist:

Perfection Generation

Get Over Me

Three

Omniscient

Free

Mother

Miracle

The Feeling released their self-titled fifth album just over a week ago, and after listening to it once I wasn't really sure how I felt. Compared to their early material it's a more mature sound, and with a lot of the songs timing in at over five minutes it's definitely not the kind of record that I normally listen to.
Starting the set off with 'Fill My Little World' was a great way to grab the attention of the crowd: whereas the new album has been out for a matter of days, the fan favourites are nearly a decade old. Every single person in the room was screaming along to the words, die-hard fans and casual listeners alike, and the atmosphere was utterly electric.
I'd been looking forward to hearing a few songs off of their new album live, but when vocalist Dan Gillespie Sells paused, saying that "the point of this tour" was to play the new album (almost) in full, I was surprised. It's a ballsy move to showcase a new album in a live environment, especially when you have four other albums that you could choose to play songs from. Playing such a well-known track had gotten everyone involved, but because a lot of the crowd hadn't heard the new songs yet was it going to be a mistake?
The answer to that question: a 100%, definite no.
Whereas hearing the recording of 'The Feeling' left me feeling disconnected and a little (dare I say it?) bored, the songs in a live environment are a completely different beast. A lot of the fans in the crowd had obviously already heard it, because the amount of people singing along to the songs - especially at this early stage of the album release cycle - was mind-blowing. Dani Sylvia commented during her set that a lot of people had been at every show so far on the tour (this was the fourth date, with two more to come) and that would have helped it, but it did shock me. I just didn't think The Feeling were a band who incited this hysterical of a reaction from a crowd.
Their new album definitely needs to be experienced, rather than just listened to - it comes alive in a live environment, and it makes so much more sense. The six minute 'Feel Something' is just too much on a recorded track, but I've never felt six minutes pass faster - I can understand completely why Dan chose it as his favourite song off of the new album.
The most interesting moment of the evening was definitely 'Real Deal', in which Dan went and sat behind the keyboards, allowing keyboardist Ciaran Jeremiah to take centre stage. Dan shared the fact that the band often switch instruments when they're recording to try out different sounds, saying "there was a particularly weird song where Kevin (Jeremiah, guitarist and Ciaran's brother) played drums. [...] It was a backward beat where one was somewhere weird in the bar and we couldn't decipher it". Kevin quickly defended his playing style, quipping "it was where it was supposed to be, everyone else was wrong!". It's certainly an interesting way of recording, and it was good to get some insight into how the band work in a studio environment.
'Real Deal' becomes quite surreal towards the end of the song, with the combined vocals complementing each other and elevating the song to an unbeatable climax. Dani's backing vocal certainly shone, and you can see why the band have been working with her - she works well with them, and their onstage chemistry was wonderful. Her vocal was also brilliant on 'What's The Secret' (where she completely owned the ending, singing over the top of the band having what was essentially a jam session) and 'Shadow Boxer' (in which Dani and Kevin's voices complemented each other perfectly, making a beautiful harmony).
My favourite song from the new album is definitely 'Repeat To Fade': it's very powerful, and as soon as the song finished Dan apologised, saying "I should have warned you that one was noisy!". It was the heaviest song that they performed, but it's filled with such pure emotion that you feel every second. I also really enjoyed 'Alien', the nuances of which are demonstrated beautifully when you can feel the instruments in your chest. It also got a great laugh from the crowd when Dan joked "I wrote that song about my boyfriend!".
The ending of 'Non-Stop American' also worked amazingly with a crowd. The singalong was spine-tingling in its intensity, and the band looked so impressed with the response: Dan was out of breath when the song finished, and before starting 'Sleep Tight' (their self-confessed lullaby to "put people to sleep at the end of our records") he joked "take your breath, take a sec". When the crowd need a break from their contribution, you know that you're experiencing a brilliant show.
Of course, the moment everyone had been waiting for was the encore of the show. With Dan promising they'd play another couple of old songs I'd been expecting two or three - when they picked another four songs from their debut album, 'Twelve Stops and Home', I was over the moon.
The encore started with 'Never Be Lonely', with its "B-b-b-b-baby" call driving the crowd into a frenzy. Dan held an insanely long note - I couldn't time it, but it must have been about thirty seconds continuously, in a rather high pitch - and it was the most impressive vocal trick I'd ever seen. To perform something like that at the end of a set would be difficult enough (at this point the band had already been on stage for an hour!) but Dan had mentioned earlier in the night that he wasn't well, constantly eating cough sweets on doctor's orders (he shared that Paul Stewart, their drummer, was ready behind him to do to Heimlich manuveur, but after pronouncing it incorrectly joked "Hindlick? Like, behind me, and then you lick me?"). You'd never have known he was ill: he was pouring every drop of energy that he had into singing, and even when his voice was a little rough around the edges it was at points where it worked brilliantly. The rest of the set was note perfect, and to be able to hold out a note for that long when not at the top of his game... It makes me think Dan's an unbeatable vocalist when he's 100% healthy.
The rest of the encore included the romantic 'Rosé', the heart-breaking 'Sewn', and the bubbling fun of 'Love It When You Call'... The set had peaked, and I was so happy with all of the songs that the band had chosen to include. Five singles were released from that album, and they'd played all five: who could complain?
But when the band exited the stage, the crowd were still calling for more. The encore was already over, and I was sure it was the end of the set. 'I Thought It Was Over'... but it wasn't, as the band burst back out on to the stage and finished with my favourite song that they've ever released. I'm not ashamed to admit that I lost my shit (just a little bit, though...) but it was the perfect ending to the night - the main set might have been a slow burner, but saving the majority of the well-known hits to the end AND performing two encores? This show embodied the word spectacular.
I've never seen The Feeling before, but I'm definitely going to see them again. The band said that they were hoping to tour again before the end of the year - I have my fingers crossed. 

Setlist:

Fill My Little World

Wicked Heart

Spiralling

Feel Something

Real Deal

What's The Secret

Repeat To Fade

Shadow Boxer

Young Things

Alien

Non-Stop American

Sleep Tight

-

Never Be Lonely

Rosé 

Sewn

Love It When You Call

-

I Thought It Was Over

Tonight Alive - Bristol O2 Academy, 24/02/16

February has been a majorly busy gigging month for me and with this, my penultimate live review for the month, I went to Bristol O2 Academy for the first time in four years to see Tonight Alive. As this was my Christmas present, I was given VIP tickets too, which meant I managed to see the band perform unreleased song 'Waves' in their soundcheck. Because it's one of the tracks from 'Limitless' that hasn't come out yet, it was awesome to be one of the first people in the world to hear it, and trust me - it's worth waiting for. The band have been going from strength to strength with their recent singles, and it's just going to get better from here. 

When I saw opening act Milk Teeth at Takedown Festival last year, I was highly unimpressed. So unimpressed that I ended up leaving their set fairly quickly and I didn't mention them in my review! It meant I wasn't too pumped when I realised that they were one of the supports at this show, but hearing their new songs definitely changed my opinion.
The last year has been a huge one for Milk Teeth. They signed to Hopeless Records, released an EP and followed it up with their debut album, 'Vile Child', which came out a few weeks ago. Because the album hasn't been out long it seemed like the majority of the crowd didn't know the songs; this meant the reaction to the band wasn't very enthusiastic, but the band performed brilliantly.
Vocalist Becky Blomfield has an old school tone to her voice, similar to Courtney Love in her Hole days, and it's nice to hear something different to the vast majority of bands around at the moment. Whereas before I'd thought the band were thrashy and unpolished (in a bad way) the new songs seem to have honed their songwriting and they've definitely reigned themselves in - the control means that you can appreciate the music rather than just being assaulted with a wall of noise. Becky took a moment to call out to any girls in bands in the crowd, stating "we need more bands like The Distillers, The Pixies, so keep doing that!" and if Milk Teeth can inspire a new wave of female fronted bands it will not be a bad thing.
The most surprising moment of their set was 'Kabuki', which Becky introduced by saying that she wrote it when she was in a really bad place, and that she hoped by "putting this out here and me being stood here today [it proves] you can go through really shit times in your life and get through to a better place". It was a haunting song, with raw emotion and a vulnerability that makes it impossible not to respect Becky for being able to open herself up so thoroughly. She definitely has a talent for songwriting and if this is the kind of song they're releasing after being a band for nearly three years, I'm excited to see where they go in the future.
The band recently lost guitarist Josh Bannister, one of their founding members, but touring guitarist and backing vocalist Billy Hutton fits into the band so perfectly that you'd think he'd been there the whole time. His roaring vocal at the end of 'No Fun' certainly showed a different side to the band, but instead of thinking their older music was over the top and unappealing, I found myself really enjoying it.
I'm surprised that Milk Teeth managed to change my opinion so completely, but I'm very grateful for it: I can't wait to get hold of 'Vile Child' and hear what their songs sound like on a recording rather than in a live environment.

Setlist:
Brain Food
Burger Drop
Brickwork
Crows Feet
Melon Blade
Kabuki
Swear Jar
No Fun
Vitamins

I've liked Our Last Night for a very long time, but things have always gone wrong when I've tried to see them live: illness, or cancellations, or transport issues. Finally seeing them was something I'd been waiting for for over four years. Thankfully, I was not disappointed.
The chemistry between co-vocalists Trevor and Matthew Wentworth is captivating - not too surprising, with them being brothers -   but it meant that the set was absorbing and the energy just didn't let up. The crowd responded to them better than they did to Milk Teeth, which is probably due to how long they've been a band: whereas Milk Teeth only formed in 2013, Our Last Night released their debut album over ten years ago. It means they already have their own fanbase solidly established, and I wouldn't be surprised if some people only came to this show to see them.
Their half an hour set time felt like it was a lot longer because of the variety of songs that they played. Ranging from the heavier, almost post-hardcore sound, through to the acoustic 'White Tiger' and the uplifting and inspirational 'Sunrise', there was definitely a mix of styles in this set, and it kept it interesting - you never knew what was going to be played next, you just knew it was going to be enjoyable.
'Home' was one of the more successful moments, with the beautiful split vocal at the end of the track (emphasized with the use of a backing track to add more layers to the sound) showing exactly how complementary the brother's voices are.
If you're looking for a band that put on an energetic show, look no further than Our Last Night. Trevor only stayed still during 'White Tiger' because he needed to be able to play his acoustic guitar, but for the rest of the set he didn't stop moving. Just during the last half of 'Sunrise' he jumped off of the drum platform that was set up ready for Tonight Alive, then threw himself into the crowd, running up and down in front of the barrier. Seeing this band live you can't help but be entertained - I just hope it's not too long until I can see them again.

Setlist:
Prisoners
Road To The Throne
Same Old War
White Tiger
A World Divided
Home
Sunrise

This is the second Tonight Alive headline show that I've seen, after going to their Reading Festival warm-up show at Oxford back in 2014, and because that was one of the best headline sets I'd ever seen I was a little bit nervous - I didn't know if they'd be able to live up to my expectations.
Hearing 'Waves' in soundcheck definitely took some of my worries away: I'd forgotten how spectacular Jenna McDougall's vocal was. But it was the start of their headline set and the performance of new song 'To Be Free' that really reminded me of how spectacular this band. Instead of building up the tension and coming out on stage under the cover of darkness, Jenna had her microphone back stage with her and started singing before the band had set foot on the stage. It was a unique entrance, and it started the show off with a bang that didn't fizzle out.
The thing about Tonight Alive is that I really like them, but I keep forgetting to listen to them. It sounds weird, but it's true: sometimes I won't listen to them for three or four months, but then I'll remember just how much I enjoy their sound. I looked up their setlist before we came to this show and I thought I knew one or two songs, so I was very surprised when I ended up knowing almost every song that went into their set. From 'The Ocean' to 'Hell and Back' (which Jenna finished by singing "I went to hell and back just to be where I am today, with you, on the Limitless world tour!") they write songs that are easy to relate to and are emotionally evocative, but they're so easy to sing along to as well, despite the sometimes hard-hitting subject matter. With Jenna announcing "if you don't know what we stand for, we're all about personal power and emotional freedom" they certainly proved it with their music.
I was surprised by the crowd's reaction to Tonight Alive. I'd always kind of thought of them as a bit mellow, so with their fans instantly throwing themselves into the set it wasn't what I'd expected. When Jenna was talking to the crowd someone shouted "Mosh pit!" at her, to which she replied "What did you say? Oh, you want a mosh pit? I appreciate that, I thought you said something rude for a second there" before announcing that there would be moshing later and that they just needed to work their way into the set. I don't know if the pits did arrive, but the audience seemed very up for it: after the tame reaction to the heavier Milk Teeth I hadn't thought it was a hardcore crowd, but apparently Tonight Alive changed that!
During a brief gap while Jenna spoke, one of the guys started playing the intro 'Stay Together For The Kids' by Blink-182, leading to a very small and impromptu cover session featuring the intros of 'All The Small Things' and 'Feeling This'. Jenna joked "Can we be a Blink cover band for the night?", but while the prospect was exciting they have far too many of their own successful songs to perform.
The most emotional song of the evening was unquestionably 'Amelia', written about the death of a close friend. Introducing the song Jenna mentioned the fact that they'd met fans before the show and a lot of people had brought along their copies of debut album 'What Are You So Scared Of?', saying "it's really cool that an album that came out in 2012... 2011! Is still being brought to shows", crediting 'Amelia' with helping the band appeal to fans with their lyrical content and helping them get where they are today. Based on the reaction of the crowd the majority of people really love their older material - this band have built themselves a very solid and dedicated group of fans.
With the majority of the band leaving the stage after 'What Are You So Scared Of?' it was time for the acoustic part of the evening. The stripped back session was intimate and made the show very special. With Jenna and Whakaio sitting together on the platform at the front of the stage, they played 'Safe and Sound' and 'The Other Side'. Before 'Safe and Sound', Jenna explained that they'd decided to play it because "there's a beautiful couple in the front row and it's their anniversary and they both have lyrics from 'Safe and Sound' tattooed on their bodies!" before getting the crowd to shout out Happy Anniversary to the two of them. I hadn't heard the song before, but I've absolutely fallen in love with it - it's beautiful, and the acoustic sound worked brilliantly on it, making for a very memorable moment. Because 'Safe and Sound' was a fan request, people were shouting out for other songs that they wanted to hear acoustic, with Jenna joking "We're not going to play 'The Edge' acoustic!" before introducing the second acoustic song that they'd play, my personal highlight of the set: an extended version of 'The Other Side'.
I first heard 'The Other Side' during Tonight Alive's Oxford show, and I've listened to it constantly since - it's just a brilliant song, and it's definitely my favourite from Tonight Alive. I was a bit worried about hearing the extended version, because I didn't want them to ruin the song by doing too much to it, but the extended version is actually better than the original: it only has two extra verses, but with Jenna passionately singing "we were always more than friends, just friends" it had a little extra kick that made me enjoy it that much more. As Jenna said, "it's about reflecting on your past without bitterness and without resent", and I think that meaning comes across that much more solidly in the extended version.
Unfortunately I did have to leave before the end of their set due to an early train home, so I'm only using educated guesses at how their setlist went after 'Human Interaction', which started as I was walking out of the venue. It was a shame that I didn't get to hear more of the new songs from 'Limitless' live because it would have been nice to see how they sounded in a live environment - it's only a couple of weeks until the album comes out, but it's nice to see the reaction and feel the atmosphere surrounding new material. I'm sure it won't be too long until I see Tonight Alive again, so I'll just have to hear the new songs next time.

Setlist: 

To Be Free
The Fire
The Ocean
Hell and Back
Bathwater
Amelia
What Are You So Scared Of?
Safe and Sound (acoustic)
The Other Side (extended version acoustic)
Human Interaction
Don't Wish (*)
Wasting Away (*)
The Edge (*)
Listening (*)
Drive (*)
-
How Does It Feel? (*)
Lonely Girl (*)

(*) - setlist credit to setlist.fm, taken from the Manchester night of the tour. I can't confirm if these were the other songs played, but up to and including 'Human Interaction' is right for this show.