Sleeping With Sirens - Roundhouse, London, 06/03/16

This was my first time seeing a Sleeping With Sirens headline show, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I was feeling dubious about the whole experience. I despised 'Madness' when it was released last year and I've only listened to the album all the way through once - I had no idea how it would translate to a live environment. Having three supports certainly took off the pressure, though, because I knew I'd enjoy at least one band in the evening!

I hadn't heard of Beach Weather before they were announced as the opener for this tour, but I had heard of Nick Santino, their lead vocalist (he was the lead singer for A Rocket To The Moon before their split in 2013). I didn't know what to expect from them, but with such a sunny name and an appearance on a bill such as this, I knew it was going to be the type of music that I would enjoy.
The first two songs actually blended in together. The sound was chilled and I can imagine relaxing with them on in the background, but that atmosphere doesn't work particularly well during the first songs from an opening act. I was enjoying Beach Weather, but I wasn't overly impressed.
However, that all changed with the new song they played: the only song whose title I don't know, bar the fact that it ended with the word 'Quick'. It was heavier, with more punk sensibilities than those displayed in the first two songs. The beat was much more pronounced, and with Nick nearly roaring into the microphone it was a very impressive shift from the laid back attitude they first displayed. It marked a turning point for their performance.
After that point, the energy in the set changed completely, getting the crowd more involved and ensuring everyone was paying attention. On 'Bad Seed', Nick encouraged the audience to "wake up and do some weird awkward interpretive dance on this next one", which certainly seemed to interest a lot of people. I don't know if Beach Weather were nervous during the first half of the set, because this is probably the biggest crowd that they've performed these songs to, but it was as though you could physically see them relax and trust in the music as the time went on. With Nick asking if the crowd were excited for the other bands in the evening, he quipped "I thought I said Sleeping With Simon: is there a Simon in here?" - certainly a memorable moment.
Closer 'Swoon' was the best song that they performed: has a powerful ending that must have grabbed the attention of every person in the audience, with Nick reaching a primal state as he caterwauled into the microphone, building the crowd into a frenzy.
This was Beach Weather's first visit to the UK, as they only officially debuted as a band in August 2015, but speaking to a couple of the band members after the set they shared that they were hoping to be back on our shores before the end of the year. If you haven't listened to them yet, I'd certainly recommend checking out their EP, 'What A Drag': you won't be disappointed.

Setlist:
New Skin
Wolf
New song (--- Quick)
Bad Seed
Rebel Sun
Swoon

I heard This Wild Life live at Slam Dunk 2015, but I didn't actually see them - the room was stuffed to capacity, so I was stood outside the room at the top of the stairs, struggling to hear them over the conversation of the crowd. Actually getting to see the band on stage was great, and they sounded brilliant... But I think the venue was a bad fit for them.
I hate needing to say that, because seeing them on a large stage is a brilliant achievement for an acoustic band who are still relatively new: their label debut, 'Clouded', only came out in 2014. With so many acoustic artists never gaining traction, their constant touring is a brilliant ethos and has certainly gathered them a respectable following. However, because a lot of the people in this room were waiting for As It Is and Sleeping With Sirens - heavier bands with more pop-punk leanings - a large part of their set was overshadowed by the rumble of voices. I don't know if that would have happened as obviously in a smaller venue or at a headline show, but it was disappointing as I'd been looking forward to This Wild Life the most.
For just two men, they have a remarkable amount of stage presence. Vocalist/guitarist Kevin Jordan and backing vocalist/guitarist (and part time drummer, as demonstrated on closing song 'Concrete') Anthony DelGrosso have brilliant chemistry, and with their musical prowess it's impossible to be unimpressed. The perfect way for them to show this was using their cover of 'Sleepwalking' by Bring Me The Horizon. The fact that Kevin introduced it by announcing that they were going to play Drake's 'Hotline Bling' made it even better, because you could see genuine confusion spreading throughout the room. Because it's normally a heavier song, hearing it stripped back and sang so purely was disconcerting in the best kind of way. Anthony's guitar playing on it was also exceptional: whereas a lot of the original is performed using synths and other effects, the style and the sound of the song on the guitar makes it that much more effective.
'No More Bad Days' was a poignant moment, as Kevin dedicated the song to his mother, Janice, who has both battled with cancer and raised her children by herself. As the show was on Mother's Day, it was very touching, made even more beautiful when Kevin referenced bands on Warped who always ask fans to put their phones away. He said "we do think that's pretty cool, but can you put all of your cellphones in the air for us?" and with all of the lights in the air it was a moment I'm sure the band will never forget.
As I mentioned earlier, Anthony actually ended up drumming through the end of closing song 'Concrete', and that certainly made it my highlight of their performance. I hadn't been expecting it - I knew he was a talented musician, but being good at the guitar is a completely different thing to being a multi-instrumentalist! I thought that the gradual build-up in the song leading to a heavier ending was the perfect way for them to wrap up their set; it added another element to their sound and made them stand out even more from the rest of the bands on the bill. This Wild Life might not have gotten the most energetic reaction, or commanded the most attention, but I think they were by far the best inclusion at this show.
I overheard a conversation that Kevin had with a fan after their set, in which he promised the band would be back over in UK in the winter. He couldn't give any more information regarding the news - whether a supporting slot, headline run or a festival appearance, I can't tell you - but it's something I'm already anticipating.

Setlist:
History
Ripped Away
Better With You
Sleepwalking (cover)
No More Bad Days
Puppy Love
Concrete

I've missed As It Is live quite a few times in the last year. I haven't meant to, but life has gotten in the way, meaning that this show was my first chance to see the band in action. I'm going to be honest, I hadn't actually listened to As It Is before their performance, but I'd heard of them - mostly because of their vocalist, Patty Walters, who is a well-known "Youtube personality".
Apparently I was one of the only people in the audience who wasn't familiar with their material. From the intro track of Gwen Stefani's 'Hollaback Girl' through opening song 'Concrete', a large portion of the audience started singing along to every word and didn't stop through the entirety of their ten song set. I was vaguely familiar with the closing track 'Dial Tones', but apart from slow track 'My Oceans Were Lakes' all of the songs blended into one (particularly 'Turn Back To Me' and 'Can't Save Myself', which were played back to back with no break in between the songs).
If you've heard the phrase "generic pop punk", you can apply it perfectly to As It Is. Patty's vocal is unique, but that's because he has a whinging, nasal tone that doesn't lend itself well to mainstream success. I can't really comment on co-vocalist Benjamin Biss, because his microphone was turned down rather low and I could hardly hear him over Patty - he was definitely treated more like a backing vocalist than a co-vocalist, which is a shame when the songs often have splits to allow both of them a chance in the limelight. With Patty wearing the band's "Who the fuck is Patty Walters?" shirt, I really do feel that Ben deserves more recognition for the role he plays in the band, because the screaming response to all of Patty's movements just feels cringe-worthy.
The other thing that really screamed stereotype at me was Patty's performance during 'My Oceans Were Lakes'. It's the only slow song that they performed,
I just really don't understand the appeal with As It Is. With the hysterical reaction that they were gathering from the crowd it genuinely looks like they could be the next band with a cult-like following, but they don't have the songs to live up to the hype. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is I don't click with, because I really like Patty's vocal on his Youtube covers... I just don't think it works when it comes to original music. I can't fault his charisma or his stage presence, because he didn't stand still for the entirety of their set and effortlessly commanded the crowd to start jumping, but when you hear people shouting "He's so hot!" throughout the set it makes me wonder how far they would have gotten without that selling point.
As It Is have announced an extensive tour around the UK in which they'll play their EP, 'This Mind of Mine', and their aforementioned debut album in full. Jule Vera and With Confidence are supporting them - if you can get along to a show I'd recommend it for With Confidence alone, but it's also probably going to be the last time you'll catch As It Is in venues of this size (headlining a mere 500 capacity London show, compared to the 3,000 in the Roundhouse at this show).

Setlist:
Concrete
Cheap Shots and Setbacks
Horoscopes
Turn Back To Me
Can't Save Myself
My Oceans Were Lakes
Silence (Pretending's So Comfortable)
Sorry
Speak Soft
Dial Tones

Despite being worried about how the Sleeping With Sirens set would go, I was still quite excited to see them. They were amazing when they performed on main stage at Reading festival in 2014, but because I'm not enamoured with any of their recent material I knew I would end up feeling disappointed: this is the tour to support 'Madness', so the set was very heavily skewed towards the new songs.
The volume on Kellin Quinn's microphone must have been cranked way down on opener 'Don't Say Anything' - you could hardly hear a word he was singing, which means I can't say anything good. The immediately energetic response from the crowd made up for it, and the problem was resolved within two songs, but it meant that would should have been a triumphant start to their set was a dampener.
Having nowhere to go but up the band definitely elevated the rest of their performance, rushing from song to song and hardly giving the crowd a moment to breathe. It's been a very long time since I've gotten so absorbed in a set that the time has flown past, but that certainly happened here. The crowd were screaming along to every word, so at points Kellin's vocal was inaudible from the sheer enthusiasm of the audience, but he joked "I don't even need to be here, you guys fucking got it!".
The first six songs that they performed were all from the new album, including bonus track 'Parasites', which was a nice surprise! I hadn't heard the song before, as I'd only ever listened to the normal edition of the album, but it was closer to what I'd been expecting from 'Madness', so I really enjoyed it. Kellin announced that it was the highest song he was going to perform all evening and he wasn't lying - it really did take his vocal to a completely different place. With drummer Gabe Barham donning a horse mask for the entirety of the song, it certainly wasn't a usual way to perform it, but it was just another sign of a band going crazy at the end of a long tour.
I found myself eagerly waiting for them to play some of their older material, but I didn't dislike the 'Madness' songs as much as I could remember. I haven't had a chance to listen to the album again since I've gotten home, but it seems as though it might have grown on me over the last year. However, as soon as they kicked in to 'Congratulations', I was much more content. I missed almost the entirety of the song at Reading (getting there for that last, powerful note) so getting to see it performed was a dream come true, and with Patty Walters coming back on stage to perform Matty Mullins' part of the song it was a moment I'll never forget. I hadn't particularly enjoyed Patty's vocal in the As It Is set, but his verse really impressed me - I don't think I'm ever going to understand why I only like his voice on covers, but this was more proof towards it.
Later in the set the band had another guest vocalist, whose identity I'm not actually sure of. Kellin introduced her before she walked out onto the stage, performing 'Scene Five: With Ears to See, and Eyes To Hear', but I didn't catch her name and I haven't been able to discern her identity since the show, either. However, it was a much less successful guest appearance than Patty's was: whereas his voice worked with the song, her vocal seemed as though it would be much more suited to country music and it actually ended up ruining the song for me. With this being one of my favourite Sleeping With Sirens songs, that was fairly hard to do - I just really didn't appreciate her tone or her attempt to change the phrasing of the lyrics, because it hardly made any sense.
I much more appreciated the second acoustic song that they played, though: their cover of 'Iris' by The Goo Goo Dolls. When I first started listening to Sleeping With Sirens I fell in love with Kellin's voice on this cover, despite the fact that I adore the original, and because they don't play it very often anymore it was wonderful when Kellin announced that they were going to add it in. He asked Alex Howard - a touring member who is currently filling in for full-time guitarist Justin Hills - if he could remember how to play it because it had been so long, and Alex proudly announced "Not at all!", but he did a brilliant job and the cover was note perfect. It was their second cover of the evening, with Kellin randomly performing the chorus of 'Killing Me Softly', citing that he "had to sing that because it's been stuck in my fucking head all day, I had to get it out". It was the best vocal moment he had all evening, but whether that's because of the song or the fact that he was completely acapella is something I'll never be certain about.
I didn't really have a highlight of the set, because the entire show was brilliantly done. I did think it was funny when Kellin said Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms in the room, announcing "if mom or dad brought you to the show please say thank you [...] your parents don't wanna hear this shit, I'm sure!" before quickly shouting "sorry mom and dad!" when guitarist Nick Martin shouted "if you're having a good time say fuck yeah".
I'm not going to lie to you, though: I was most impressed by Nick throughout the night. He's the newest member of Sleeping With Sirens, having only been part of the band for a couple of years, but he's definitely the most diverse. From playing acoustic guitar on 'Gold', to performing the unclean backing vocals on most of the songs, to drumming with Gabe on 'Left Alone', I couldn't believe how much he was getting up to. When a band have been together for a long time and another member joins, it can often feel disjointed - it was completely the opposite in this case, with Nick seeming like the most integral part of the band and definitely loving every moment of his time up on the stage. When Kellin asked how he was enjoying the show, he said "I feel fucking great being in London, I love it here!", and you could tell that he meant every word. He might be the newest member, but he's certainly not under-appreciated.
I hadn't experienced a Sleeping With Sirens headline show before, but I can certainly see why their trajectory has been so severe: being able to perform like this live is a surefire way to appeal to fans. I thought they were good at Reading, but this was on a complete other level. At the end of the set, during 'If You Can't Hang', Kellin stated "Best show of the tour. Not gonna bullshit anybody, best show of the tour", so they definitely went out on a high note - I'm glad I was there to experience it.
The band are playing Reading festival again this year, and while I'll be checking out their set there, I'm also hoping to be able to attend the one-off acoustic performance at Union Chapel that they announced at this show. With State Champs supporting (and Kellin also mentioning Set It Off: not official yet, but it sounds as though the bands are doing something together this year...) it's a show that shouldn't be missed, and if I can attend I will attend.

Setlist:
Don't Say Anything
Kick Me
We Like It Loud
Go Go Go
Better Off Dead
Parasites
Congratulations (ft. Patty Walters)
Left Alone
Gold
Killing Me Softly (partial cover)
The Strays
Scene Five: With Ears To See, and Eyes To Hear (ft. ?)
Iris (cover)
If I'm James Dean, You're Audrey Hepburn
-
Do It Now Remember It Later
If You Can't Hang

If you were at the Roundhouse and have any idea who the guest vocalist performing on 'With Ears To See, and Eyes To Hear' was, please contact me! 

Slam Dunk South 2015 - 24/05/15

(Live A Loss For Words photo credit to Liana Hunt)

My favourite thing about festivals is the fact that you can wander around all day and see bands that you definitely wouldn't have experienced otherwise. This review is going to be a selection of the sets that I had something to say about, but this won't be all the bands that I saw - there were way too many of them for me to talk about all of them! Some of the notable sets that I won't be talking too much about were Cartel, Only Rivals, Neck Deep, Crossfaith and Fireworks - all brilliant sets, but I just didn't see enough of them to be able to review them properly. But now, onto the rest:

I've only been listening to PVRIS avidly for a few months, but they've quickly established themselves as one of my favourite bands, especially after their brilliant opening slot for Lower Than Atlantis last month. I missed the very beginning of their set (one song, 'Smoke') but I was still blown away by the rest of it; running through songs such as 'St. Patrick' and 'White Noise', vocalist Lynn Gunn was completely on point, sounding even better than she did the first time I saw them. I've never seen Alex or Brian look happier, both of them beaming out at the crowd that were eating up every single moment. For this early in the day the reaction was much better than I'd been expecting, and it still surprises me to see how far this band have come with just one album under their belts.  

As if their set wasn't going amazingly enough, a surprise appearance from Josh Franceschi on 'My House' was the icing on the cake, even if his microphone wasn't working for the majority of his time on stage. These guys are definitely ones to watch, and if you haven't listened to them yet it's imperative that you do so as soon as you can. Their popularity is going through the roof and the trajectory is nowhere near tapering off, and I can't wait to catch them for the third time this year at Reading festival - I guarantee they will just keep getting better. If they headline Slam Dunk in a few years time, I won't be shocked at all. 

Setlist:

Smoke

St. Patrick

Mirrors
Fire

White Noise

My House

Next up was the third ever UK show from the acoustic side project of The Wonder Years frontman Dan "Soupy" Campbell. Because The Wonder Years had already been announced as performing at Slam Dunk, it wasn't too surprising when Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties were added afterwards, so it also wasn't too surprising when the Roaring Twenties weren't actually there, and it was just Dan (or should I say Aaron?) on stage by himself. 

If you haven't heard of Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties, the concept behind the act is that the songs tell the story of the worst year of Aaron West's life, and it was really interesting to see Dan embodying the character of Aaron and speaking as him. The Wonder Years have always been super popular because of their lyrical content and how easy it is to relate to them, but this acoustic emo act was obviously the drawing point of many people at this weekend, as the room was full to bursting before he even came out on stage. To have people queuing out on the landing for the third act on the stage is a huge achievement, but considering the fact that before Slam Dunk he'd only ever played one UK show, it just proves that the demand is definitely outweighing the supply. 

Starting off with 'Our Apartment', most of the crowd were shouting along to every word, which didn't let up through 'Grapefruit' or 'Runnin' Scared'. My personal favourite song is 'Divorce and the American South', which had the loudest singalong in the first half of the set. This boosted even higher during the trumpet solo, as the crowd decided to cover for the absent backing band and perform a vocal trumpet solo - which Soupy congratulated us on afterwards, calling for a round of applause for the great trumpet solo - something that definitely lightened up what was an otherwise completely depressing set. But depressing does not mean bad, and Aaron West was one of the best performers I saw in the entire day at Slam Dunk, so I seriously hope that he comes back and announces some full length UK shows at some point in the near future. I couldn't stick around for the rest of Aaron West's set, as I wanted to see some of Beartooth, but the half that I did see was superb.

I didn't think that the Fresh Blood stage could get any busier, but when I returned to see Fort Hope I sadly couldn't even get into the room. I stood outside and listened to a section of their set - most notably 'Sick', which sounded pretty sick ('scuse the pun) even from outside on the landing. With the band having signed their first record deal in the last few days, this crowd is just going to keep growing, and I'm so proud of how far these boys have come from back in the My Passion days. The UK rock scene is on the rise, and Fort Hope are leading the pack. 

I saw a bit of A Loss For Words at Slam Dunk last year and I thought they were pretty awesome, so I was bummed out when I discovered that they'd announced their break up before I'd even gotten around to listening to any of their full length albums. When it was announced that they'd be performing at Slam Dunk on their farewell tour, there was no chance that I was missing it. 

Joining the set to hear 'Pirouette', I was amazed when there was a surprise guest appearance from the vocalist of Save Your Breath, Kris Richards, whose band broke up back in January. I was a big Save Your Breath fan, so the moment was rather bittersweet, but it really embodied the entire ethos of Slam Dunk festival - having fun with your friends - and with a singalong of epic proportions it was perfect for this summery festival crowd. With singer Matty thanking his "brother" for appearing on stage with him, it really spread the love - something that A Loss For Words seem to be really fond of, as Matty was also wearing a t-shirt proclaiming 'I support same-sex marriage'. 

One of the most notable things about their set was the amount of bands they were shouting out to, thanking Decade, Light You Up, Transit, PVRIS and Neck Deep, to name but a few. Dedicating 'Distance' to Fireworks was also a poignant moment, with A Loss For Words splitting and Fireworks going onto hiatus, but there wasn't time to dwell on the emotions because the set was just too much fun. Nowadays, pop punk bands seem to take themselves much too seriously, but A Loss For Words were having so much fun and it was definitely encouraging the crowd. 

My sixth time seeing Lower Than Atlantis was also my shortest time, as I only managed to see three of their songs in the fifteen minute gap I squeezed in at main stage. It was impressive that they seemed to on top of their game, as this was their second festival set today (the first being at the BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Norwich) but if anything that made them sound tighter, because they'd had the perfect warm-up this morning.

After catching them on their UK tour last month, I didn't think Lower Than Atlantis could get any better, but vocalist Mike Duce seemed to be so much more confident in front of this crowd, belting out every word and getting it shouted back in his face twice as loud. 'Ain't No Friend' had everyone dancing, while 'English Kids In America' is still a festival classic - perhaps even more memorable today than it was at Reading festival last year. I stuck around long enough to hear 'Deadliest Catch', my all time favourite of their songs, and I sincerely wish I'd been able to hang around longer, because they were sounding even tighter than normal. With a large tour announced in December, I'm sincerely hoping I'll be able to go along to one of their shows, because it would be brilliant to see them wrap up their biggest ever year as a band on such a high note.

Back at the Fresh Blood stage, the crowd outside the room had gotten even larger than it was for Fort Hope, meaning that I had to strain to hear This Wild Life over the voices of fans waiting outside. After such an extensive co-headline tour with As It Is over the last few weeks, I assumed that most of the people who wanted to see This Wild Life would have already seen them - this belief was naive, as disappointed fans were turning away in droves when they realised that there was no way for them to push into the room to see the band. This Wild Life were actually one of my most anticipated bands of Slam Dunk, so I stuck it out and managed to hear a good few songs, especially once the crowd dispersed a little bit and you could hear the music outside. 

'History' is one of their most well-known songs, and this was confirmed when they played it first, with the singalong from the crowd sounding much louder than the band themselves, the same of which can be said for 'Over It'. 'Ripped Away' sounded absolutely flawless, but the highlight of the part of the set that I saw was definitely their cover of Blink-182's 'First Date', which was a surprising but perfectly performed cover. 

I left after hearing 'Better With You', one of my favourite songs, but that wasn't before I noticed that even their co-headline tour mate Patty Walters, lead vocalist of As It Is, was unable to get into the room. This band are such a massive deal, something that I hadn't realised until this show, but I think it's a brilliant sign - they deserve to have all of this attention, because Anthony and Kevin are both such talented songwriters and performers. I haven't had the opportunity to see a This Wild Life headline show yet, but it's definitely something I'm going to ensure that I do next time that they come to the UK - I need to experience this show on a bigger scale, and I need to actually get into the room next time!

I've had a love-hate relationship with Don Broco recently, as I haven't really enjoyed any of the singles that they've been releasing from forthcoming album 'Automatic', but that completely changed throughout their set yesterday. Starting off with 'Money Power Fame' was a brilliant way to drag the crowds attention to this band, who threw every ounce of their energy into their performance. A Don Broco show is a high velocity show, and that didn't change at Slam Dunk; if anything it ramped up even higher, with frontman Rob Damiani going absolutely crazy up there.

Newest single 'Automatic' didn't get that much of a reaction from the crowd: possibly because of the relatively young age of the song, or possibly because other people are agreeing with my opinion of the new material. However, something that you can't deny is the fact that they performed the song live amazingly, and it's impossible to move your eyes away from the stage from the second they start from the second they exit.

Older songs 'Whole Truth' and 'Priorities' both got amazing responses, with the crowd kicking it up a gear and dancing more than I'd seen them all day. I had to leave half way through their set, to run across to Seaway, but I'm definitely feeling more love towards Don Broco after seeing the new songs in a live environment, and remembering how encapsulating their live shows are.

I only managed to catch one song from Seaway, due to some terrible set clashes, but the one that I saw definitely deserves a special comment, and that was 'Your Best Friend'. I'd been having a pretty terrible morning - missing Set It Off and We Are The Ocean, and suffering with a terrible migraine - but after hearing such a fun song live I just couldn't stop myself from dancing and beaming from ear to ear. I don't know what it is about these Canadian fellows, but they're so full of fun that I can't help but fall in love with them a little more every time I listen to them. I haven't been disappointed by a single one of their songs that I've heard so far, and after purchasing their full length album 'Hoser' at the festival, I'll definitely be listening to them more. 

However, I had to leave Seaway quite early to get along to Finch, who were another of my most anticipated bands of the day. Since Finch's reunion tour a couple of years ago, I've been getting quite excited about the day when I would finally see them live, and I couldn't believe it was finally here. 

I will admit that I didn't know many of the newer songs that they played, as I only managed to purchase their newest album 'Back To Oblivion' at the festival, but the ones that I did hear sounded brilliant. I joined their set on 'Anywhere But Here', and was amazed by how much the band were putting in to the set - some of the older hardcore bands that I've seen have been quite complacent in their live shows, but Finch were excelling the performance I'd experienced at the Hidden In Plain View show last month, which was insanely high. The new music definitely padded out their set, putting a brilliant amount of life into it, and instead of being disinterested by the songs I didn't know I found myself falling in love much further with this band. 

'Letters To You' is obviously one of Finch's more well-known songs, so a lot of the crowd did seem to only be in attendance for this one, demonstrated when the moshing went through the roof for the duration of the song. A hardcore anthem, it's difficult to find someone who doesn't know this song, and I was amazed by how brilliantly the band played it over ten years since they wrote and released it. After going through two break-ups, it's impressive that the members still perform so well together, and their chemistry is palpable throughout the crowd.

Finishing with 'What It Is To Burn', another of their most popular songs, it was surprising to see another guest appearance from Josh Franceschi, who mentioned the fact the he wanted to perform the song with them in an issue of Kerrang! a few weeks ago. Seeing a dream come true like that live on stage should have been corny, but after seeing Josh moshing side stage throughout the previous couple of songs in their set, you could really see how much it meant to him, and he threw everything he had into his vocal (which, thankfully, was on a working microphone that time!). I can't believe that I waited this long to see Finch, and I will not be waiting this long until the next time. 

I don't really have that much to say about Taking Back Sunday that I didn't already say in my review of their show in Oxford in December, but that isn't a bad thing because it proves that they are consistent. Their banter was still lacking, which was much more noticeable (and cringe-inducing) in this environment, but the rest of their performance was one of my highlights of the entire day. I said before that Taking Back Sunday really know how to craft a brilliant setlist, and while they played most of the songs that I'd seen them play only a few months ago, they played them all fantastically so I had nothing to complain about. 

All of their biggest hits: 'MakeDamnSure', 'Cute Without The 'E' (Cut From The Team)' and 'You're So Last Summer' were all present, as well as a good chunk of their more recent releases, meaning that there was something there for every era of Taking Back Sunday fan. The majority of the crowd did seem to be turned off from Taking Back Sunday, but that was kind of understandable with them sandwiched between Don Broco and You Me At Six, both who are relatively new on the scene, meaning that their fan base might have been too young to fully appreciate Taking Back Sunday when they were at the height of their career. I was kind of disappointed with the crowd, who didn't seem to be making any effort at all - the whole point of a festival is to enjoy bands you wouldn't normally see - but the fans that were getting involved were going crazy. It would have been nice to have a few surprises in their setlist, other than just the inclusion of 'Happiness Is...' bonus track 'How I Met Your Mother', but it was still a lot of fun, and I was glad that I could stay for their entire set. 

Setlist: 

Flicker, Fade

What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?

Number 5 With A Bullet

How I Met Your Mother

Liar (It Takes One To Know One)

Stood A Chance

Timberwolves At New Jersey

A Decade Under The Influence

Faith (When I Let You Down)

You're So Last Summer

Better Homes and Gardens 

Error:Operator

You Know How I Do

Cute Without The 'E' (Cut From The Team)

MakeDamnSure

You Me At Six were definitely the highlight of most people's day, and with their promise of playing older material there was no question in my mind that I was going to see every single second of their set. I've always been a huge advocate for them playing earlier songs, so my wish was finally coming true. I wasn't disappointed when the started the set off with the double header of 'The Truth Is A Terrible Thing' and 'Save It For The Bedroom', and going by the reaction from the crowd this set had been a long time coming. People were flooding in from every direction, screaming the lyrics from the top of their lungs, and it really felt like something special was happening - the excitement in the air was palpable. It didn't let up through the first five songs, concluding with 'Jealous Minds Think Alike', which is one of the best songs You Me At Six have ever written - there's a reason that they catapulted into such heights of fame, and it's mostly due to the skill and potential they displayed in their formative years. 

However, after the fifth song in the set things quickly went downhill. Due to a medical emergency with a fan, the band had to stop the set, so Josh attempted to banter with the crowd - talking a bit about their time away in Australia last week, and referencing some football rivalries - but after the banter sunk like a rock he went off-stage while the medics worked. A little over half an hour later, the band came back on stage, and it's testament to You Me At Six fans that they all stayed calm and civilised despite the lengthy gap, allowing the medics to work and for the band to give them the space that was necessary. Oftentimes things like this can go very badly very quickly, with fans throwing things and complaining about the lack of music, but that wasn't demonstrated at all during this set - everyone was extremely civilised, even if some people did get bored and wander away to The Wonder Years.

A brief intermission here, to give a shout out to The Wonder Years, who seemed to be playing a blinder of a set. I was disappointed that I was going to miss them to see You Me At Six, so the gap in the set was a blessing in disguise - due to the silence at the main stage you could hear every word of The Wonder Years set going on at the other end of the road. Dan's vocal sounded so stronger and powerful over the pop punk backtrack, which was surprising after he admitted during the Aaron West set that his voice was rather shot, and it was a real hint towards how expert he is as a frontman - he really knows what he's doing. It was my second time seeing The Wonder Years, and while I wish I could have seen and heard more of them, I was happy enough with what I got. 

After You Me At Six walked back out on stage, Josh Franceschi announced "someone's life is way more fucking important than our little band playing songs at a festival", a sentiment that he reiterated on his Twitter following the incident, and it really was heart-warming to see the frontman of such a massive band caring so much about his fans. You Me At Six might have exploded, but they're still just five boys from Surrey at heart.

I'd been anticipating quite a large cut from the set following the time that they'd been off stage, but they still completed their entire set - bigger hits like 'Room To Breathe' and 'Lived A Lie' running parallel to older songs 'The Rumour' and 'Take Off Your Colours' - and it was a breath of fresh air to get a mixture of both eras in a You Me At Six show. Often when I see the band live I find myself getting restless, but this was the perfect mix of fun and serious, meaning that there wasn't a single moment of the set that fell flat for me. This was the best show I've ever seen You Me At Six play, and I think it's going to stay that way forever, as the band have said that they will be cutting the older songs from their set completely following these three festival performances. I sincerely hope that they'll consider the crowds reaction during 'Always Attract' and rethink that decision, because that kind of colossal reaction only happens in older songs that mean a lot to all of the fans, but I'm sure they know what they're doing. 

The band are going off to record their fifth album this summer, and while I'm nervous about what the result will be, I'm excited as heck as well. As Josh sang, "the problems that have come haven't yet torn You Me down" and I'm sure they aren't going to any time soon.

Setlist: 

The Truth Is A Terrible Thing

Save It For The Bedroom

Loverboy 

Stay With Me

Jealous Minds Think Alike

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Reckless

Lived A Lie

No One Does It Better

Take Off Your Colours

Kiss And Tell

The Rumour 

The Consequence

Fresh Start Fever

Always Attract

Room To Breathe

Bite My Tongue 

Underdog