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

Slam Dunk South 2016 - 30/05/2016

This was my third time attending Slam Dunk festival and it's always been the highlight of my year. Since Panic! at the Disco were announced as headliners way back in November I knew it was going to be an extremely special day, but my excitement has been rocketing up over the past few weeks as I've discovered more bands to look forward to.

Because PVRIS were the last main stage openers, it feels as though Moose Blood should have been higher up on the bill - they're a UK act and they've gathered such a dedicated fan following over the last couple of years. They easily drew one of the biggest crowds of the day, which isn't surprising when you consider that they filled the Fresh Blood stage to capacity when they headlined it last year.
However, hundreds of people were still queuing to get in when they started; the band could have easily drawn double the amount of people to their set if they'd been able to get there.
Starting with brand new song 'Honey' was a mistake. It was the only new song that made it into the set, so the rest of their stage time was just a standard Moose Blood set, the likes of which the majority of the audience had already seen. The band released brand new song 'Knuckles' on Radio 1 this evening, which would have been a perfect inclusion in their Slam Dunk set and it would have allowed them to really measure the reaction to their new songs. 'Honey' has only been out for a matter of weeks and a large proportion of the crowd already knew most of the words, proving that the new music is being accepted just as eagerly as the old; it would have been interesting to see if the other new songs went down just as well.
While the rest of the set was predictable, it was still beautifully performed. I had to miss two songs in the middle while I ran down to coldrain (I have it on good authority that the setlist below is accurate) but it was difficult to walk away. Eddy Brewerton is so damned charismatic that it's difficult not to be absorbed as soon as he walks on to a stage, made even sweeter by the fact that there's not an iota of cockiness in his persona: he's a humble guy who's found himself in an extraordinary situation and couldn't be more thankful.
'Blush' will finally be released in August - you don't want to miss it.

Setlist:

Honey

Swim Down

I Hope You're Missing Me

Chin Up

Bukowski 

I Hope You're Miserable 

Boston

Pups 

Gum

It was difficult to walk away from Moose Blood's set, but after missing coldrain when they opened for Bullet For My Valentine I was determined to catch a bit of their set. They suffered from their early stage time, having a much smaller crowd than I'd expected, but the people that were there were extremely energetic, and the band put on a great performance. I only saw a couple of their songs, but I'm interested in hearing more from these guys.

If Slam Dunk had been a month later, With Confidence's set would have been much better attended. The room was full (they're one of the most recent signings to Hopeless Records, so that's not shocking!) but when debut album 'Better Weather' releases on June 17th it's going to get So. Much. Bigger.

I featured With Confidence on one of my New Music Monday posts soon after they were signed and I've been keeping an eye on them since. The closer the album gets, the more songs they release and the more excited I find myself.
I knew I wasn't going to be able to stay for their entire set, but I made it all the way up the three flights of stairs to the tiny Fresh Blood stage and managed to catch the start of newest single 'Keeper'. Standing at the back of the room and watching the crowd explode was sheer insanity; you don't get that reaction with new bands too often, but With Confidence mean a lot to a lot of people already. Vocalist Jayden Seeley shared that they "were a bit worried because this room is off to the side a bit, we didn't know if anyone would be able to find it, but this is fucking beautiful!" and it really was, particularly for how early in the day they performed.
In the excitement of the day and seeing so many bands, I almost managed to forget about With Confidence - don't judge me! But despite the fact that they nearly slipped my mind, I was sat at my desk today humming to myself: one lyric stuck on repeat in my head all day, a phrase that was pop with a bite to it. I was surprised when I figured it out and it was 'Keeper', but that's testament to the fact that they write extremely songs: I challenge you to listen to it and not have that chorus stuck in your head for days.
I managed to hear a song from each of their eras during the beginning of their set - from the brand new 'Keeper' back to 'Tonight', from their debut EP - and I'm going to need to explore their back catalogue thoroughly because there wasn't a dull moment. I would have loved to stay for their whole set, but I'm hoping to see them when they open for Knuckle Puck and Real Friends in December.  

Setlist:
Keeper
Tonight
Take Me Away
Higher
Godzilla (*)
London Lights (*)
We'll Be Okay (*)

(*) setlist according to setlist.fm

Listen to 'Bulletproof' here - an instant hit.

Setlist:
Daughter of the Sea
Speaking in Tonuges
Bulletproof
Rising Up
Winter Kiss
Brother in Arms (*)
Bones (*)
I Want Out (*)

(*) setlist according to setlist.fm

Waterparks set was my most anticipated of the day. After featuring them on New Music Monday I couldn't help buying 'Cluster', the EP they released back in January. It's all I've listened to for the past two weeks... There's just something about this band. They're going to be huge.
As well as this being Waterparks first appearance at Slam Dunk, it was their first time ever playing outside of America - I was grateful to be a part of the experience. It was obvious that they were still nervous despite this being their third date, but watching them setting up you could see the excitement building between the trio. Vocalist Awsten Knight was determined to get a fog machine, convincing vape-users to get up on stage with them, but when one of the staff told him that vaping wasn't allowed in the room he protested his innocence, shouting "I'm sorry, I don't make the rules! You were almost the best human fog machine I've ever had!".
It was a funny start to what became a hilarious set. There were a few issues with technical stuff towards the beginning of the set - things that were out of the band's control, but quickly got resolved - and everything was going smoothly until the end of 'Silver', when guitarist Geoff Wigington got a little too enthusiastic and broke his guitar strap. Awsten started talking to the crowd, explaining that they were from America "if you can't tell by me saying y'all and being ignorant of most things", joking that he liked England because "y'alls money's tight. We went to the Queen's house too!". Asking if anyone had met the Queen he was left disappointed, but he shared the fact that he once chased Adam Lazzara around at Projekt Revolution, running alongside his golf kart on the opposite side of the fence before meeting him in a signing tent later and begging him to hang out with him.
It was the smartest thing he could have said. The crowd had been getting a little restless, wondering who the blue-haired punk was and why he was rambling up on stage, but in that moment everyone was on his side. People were shouting out other anecdotes about famous people, and when Awsten shared that he'd been trying to meet Brendon Urie for three days he was heartbroken to find that a girl in the front row had already met him. Awsten saying "I'm straight I guess, but if I was gonna go gay for a dude it would be Brendon Urie" got more cheers than a fair few of the bands that I saw in the day!
Things have changed incredibly for Waterparks in the past year, but they're still extremely down to earth, and Awsten proved that with his conversation with the crowd. Being able to build up a rapport with the crowd that quickly when it's your first time even going to another country, let alone playing there? That's an impressive skill. Checking if Geoff had fixed his strap yet, he quipped "I'm not that charismatic, I can't carry on a conversation with this many people!", but Awsten has a natural, easy personality that makes him impossible not to like. Whereas some of the sets throughout the day featured hardly any interaction with the crowd, Geoff's strap breaking gave the audience a chance to get to know the guys as people rather than just performers: it made the set very memorable indeed.
'Cluster' was only released in the UK in the last few days of May, to coincide with their appearance at Slam Dunk, but a fair amount of people were already familiar with the lead single, 'Crave'. The other songs from 'Cluster' were well-received, and I'm looking forward to the EP getting the recognition that it deserves on the side of the pond. My favourite song on the release is unquestionably 'Pink', and I was elated when Awsten announced it as his favourite too - that should mean it'll be a dead cert in their setlist when they come back to play Reading festival in August. He did forget the words a tiny bit (I think you would too, if you'd hardly ever played the song live before and it had been out for over six months!) but covered it smoothly, noticing that the spotlights had been turned pink and shouting "you made the lights pink? I appreciate that!". The end is thrashy and uncontrolled, and Awsten proudly told the crowd "that last chord was improv, normally the song doesn't end like that! 'Cause that's punk. We can be punk together". His earnest, eager to please attitude is so refreshing compared to the sullen and overly-dramatic moodiness that seems to launch most bands at the moment.
I didn't think the reaction was going to get any better after 'Crave', but when Awsten challenged the crowd to give them their first European crowd surfer, the place nearly exploded. The moment 'I'm a Natural Blue' started I lost count of how many people were up in the air, and with a circle pit bursting out a moment later it was surreal. Waterparks are most definitely pop-punk - some people even describing them as a boy band - but with the independent feel to their sound giving it a garage essence, it lends itself perfectly to small and sweaty shows like this one.
I knew that Waterparks were headlining Camden Barfly the night after Slam Dunk South, and I had no intention of going: if I was seeing them live on the Monday, why did I need to see them on the Tuesday too? But Awsten started promoting the show while Geoff was fixing his guitar strap, and he happened to mention that it was the first headline show they'd ever played outside of their home state of Texas. The first headline show ever outside of Texas? EVER?!
I have no self-control. OF COURSE I WENT TO THEIR HEADLINE SHOW TOO! The review of that will be up at some point tomorrow. Or maybe Friday...

Setlist:
Mad All The Time
Crave
Silver
No Capes
Pink
I'm a Natural Blue

If I'd had my way, I would have gone home after their set. There was no way anyone was going to top them, so it felt like it was going to be all downhill from there. Sadly, I followed their set up with a brief visit to Mayday Parade: their set would normally interest me and get me singing along but it fell flat. Whether that was the band or my Waterparks withdrawal setting in, I'm never going to be sure.

Setlist:
One of Them Will Destroy the Other (*)
Jamie All Over (*)
When You See My Friends (*)
Keep In Mind, Transmogrification is a New Technology (*)
Three Cheers For Five Years
Hollow
Oh Well, Oh Well
I'd Hate To Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About
Let's Be Honest
Black Cat
Jersey (*)

(*) setlist according to setlist.fm

This was my third time seeing Dead! and I'd been determined to make it for their full set, but due to overcrowding issues I was ten minutes late. Normally it would be my fault, because I don't give myself enough time to get somewhere through all of the people, but I'd been waiting to get up the stairs for over half an hour!

The majority of people waiting to get up the stairs were desperate to see Real Friends, who released their second album - 'The Home Inside My Head' - just last week. Because I wanted to see Dead!, I popped into their set for about a minute, and I was so disappointed that I couldn't see more because they seemed on top of their game. I haven't heard the new album in full yet, but it seems to me that Real Friends have finally matured: this album could do big things for them. Based on the amount of people flooding into the room, they were the highlight for a lot of people.

I managed to get to the top of the stairs at the Fresh Blood stage as the opening chord for Dead!'s new single 'You're So Cheap' rang out. If you haven't heard if yet you should take the time to do that - while the recorded version isn't as good as the live version, it'll still embed itself into your brain.
Vocalist Alex Mountford is a menace on stage, raw energy and passion for the songs turning him into a frenzied hurricane whipping up the crowd, his already rough vocal degrading into primal almost-screaming. Live, their songs are unpolished, but it's that rough around the edges sound that is getting Dead! so much attention: it's the reason why they're getting so much acclaim for their constant touring schedule. The songs are good recorded, but they aren't spectacular - they just don't stand out from the crowd, and they feel over-produced. These are songs that are written to be performed, and not many bands can do that successfully anymore.
As well as performing at Download and Reading and Leeds, Dead! have just been announced as the support for two of Moose Blood's festival warm-up shows: if that doesn't successfully complete phase one of their takeover, nothing will.

Setlist:
Enough Enough (*)
Phantom (*)
Enemy (*)
You're So Cheap
Alaska
Up For Ransom
Skin

(*) thanks to Lauren-Alice Golding for the setlist!

Both crowd and band were smaller than I'd expected at Away Days set. As you can see above, there should have been three, but instead there was just one drunk Jono Yates (yep, putting Jono in the bar to perform was a great plan...) alone with his guitar, putting on a show that was a mixture of stand-up comedy, trainwreck and genius.
The stand-up comedy element came because drunk Jono is hilarious. This was the third day of the festival and based on his social media accounts there wasn't a moment that Jono wasn't smashed off his face. That probably explains him turning up at every day on the search for a guitar to be able to perform, and definitely goes all the way to explaining why a set that should have been an absolute triumph turned into a bit of a mess.
With gems such as "the room has emptied a little bit and I am very appreciative of that. If you wanna get a prime spot for Creeper, now's the right time to fuck off" and "this has been the best set of the whole event. Not THE best set, MY best set! Yes, this has been my best performance! Thanks for being a part of it, the other two were fucking awful!" it definitely showed Jono's personality, but it wasn't the most professional launch for the band. However, it's memorable. That's where the genius part comes in. I can't imagine anyone in the room forgetting Away Days set, and with songs as catchy as 'Messiah' it does make you remember the music too.
Closing with 'Through the Night', Jono shared that it was a song about being in a band and how "as time goes on you begin to despise everything about them". He passionately shouted to the crowd, "if you're in a band don't let anyone tell you what to do!" before laughing, berating himself by saying "nah, I sound like a cunt. If you're in a band, quit, and get a real job, ya fucking layabouts!". Looking around the room and seeing Fearless Vampire Killer's vocalist Kier Kemp and ex-Kids in Glass Houses frontman Aled Phillips watching the set and absolutely pissing themselves laughing, it seems like Jono might have hit the nail on the head with that.
Their debut EP was released less than a month ago, and these first shows should have been the start to a beautiful second chance. I have less than no idea where the other two members were, or if they're even still in the band at this point (band? Solo project?) but I'm hoping we'll get some news out of camp Away Days fairly soon, because I'm worried.

I'd hoped to hear new Mallory Knox this weekend, because they premiered 'Ghost in the Mirror' at Slam Dunk two years ago and used it as the launching point for 'Asymmetry' - one of the reasons that it became as successful as it did. Alas, it was not meant to be, but hopefully there'll be news of the third album in the near future.

The second acoustic set that I managed to see a good chunk of was Rob Lynch, which went remarkably more smoothly that the Away Days set. Walking in on 'Whiskey' I instantly started to sing along: Rob's music is not something that you can passively listen to.
Unfortunately, sometimes nature calls at a festival, and when you spot a secret bathroom hidden away at the back of the stage you just need to sneak off - anything to avoid the portaloos. I did miss a few songs in the middle of Rob's set because of the queue (which was quickly becoming the theme of the day) but I got back in time to join in the harmonious chant of "No, no, no, it's not the end of the world" at the end of 'Hawking', which was being echoed by every person in the room - including the bar staff!

I couldn't get in to the Fresh Blood stage to see Boston Manor or Creeper because the queue was far back along the corridor throughout both of their sets. I'd imagined a lot of people had been waiting all day to see New Years Day, but I was completely wrong.
Walking in on their headline set was like walking into a ghost town compared to the Fresh Blood stage during the rest of the day. As I mentioned earlier, With Confidence, Waterparks and Dead! all had massive crowds - obviously Boston Manor and Creeper did, with the room being at capacity for both of their sets - but New Years Day had a maximum of 60-70 people. For a headline set, that's a disaster.
Creeper deserved to headline this room.

The salt in the wound stings even more when you realise that just downstairs, in the tiny acoustic stage in the bar, The Rocket Summer had a bigger crowd than New Years Day, and a much better response. The raucous singalong to 'So Much Love' greatly surpassed the reaction he received at Warped UK in October, and while I didn't stick around for long I was pleased by how happy and at ease Bryce Avery looked surrounded by avid fans.

Coming on stage late and finishing ten minutes early, I didn't see as much Of Mice and Men as I would have liked. Their show at Brixton O2 Academy was insanity: I'd been expecting to see much of the same, with a potential new song thrown in there, but unfortunately I was wrong.

Setlist:
Bones Exposed
Feels Like Forever
Glass Hearts (*)
Broken Generation (*)
Never Giving Up (*)
Public Service Announcement (*)
O. G. Loko (*)
You Make Me Sick (*)
Would You Still Be There? (*)
Another You (*)
Second and Sebring (*)
The Depths
You're Not Alone

(*) setlist according to setlist.fm

Having seen Panic! at the Disco back in January, and with tickets already booked to one of their Alexandra Palace shows in November, I only popped in to the middle of their set to hear some of the new songs ('Golden Days' and 'Crazy=Genius') in a live environment.

Setlist:
Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time (*)
Time To Dance (*)
Vegas Lights (*)
LA Devotee (*)
The Ballad of Mona Lisa (*)
Hallelujah (*)
Let's Kill Tonight
Victorious
Girls/Girls/Boys
Golden Days
Ready To Go (Get Me Out Of My Mind)
Crazy=Genius
Nicotine
Miss Jackson
Nine in the Afternoon
Bohemian Rhapsody (cover)
I Write Sins Not Tragedies
This Is Gospel
Emperor's New Clothes

(*) setlist according to setlist.fm

The King Blues was where I finished my night. (Well, apart from a brief foray to the Uprawr tent to see Shikari Sound System, but we won't go there...)

Comparing their crowd to the crowds of all of the other headliners (I made sure to pop into all eight of them, just so I'd be able to state this definitely), The King Blues stage was in the wrong place. The way that Slam Dunk South works is main stage on the grass, second stage tucked around the corner, and what should be the biggest stage at the end of a road, surrounded by bus stops. Normally the audience falls back to behind the bus stops, but The King Blues pulled the biggest crowd the stage saw all day (apart from the first 10-20 minutes of Zebrahead's set, in which they had an extremely large crowd that, sadly, left them to go to the main stage to watch New Found Glory) and they had - at most - ten lines of people.

Meanwhile, over in The Story So Far you could hardly move because of how many people were straining to fit into the room. If the stages had been the other way around, with The King Blues inside and The Story So Far at the end of the road... It would have tackled a lot of the over-crowding issues that the festival suffered with throughout the day, and more people could have seen the bands of their choice. 

Plus, from the back of The King Blues you could still hear what was going on at Panic! at the Disco on main stage... There was just too much interference to really enjoy their set. It was lucky that Of Mice and Men finished as early as they did. 

Setlist:
Let's Hang the Landlord (*)
Set the World on Fire (*)
I Want You (*)
Mr Music Man (*)
My Boulder (*)
Off With Their Heads (*)
We Ain't Never Done
The Streets Are Ours
Headbutt
Taxi Driver
I Got Love
Hold On Tight
Under the Fog (ft. catch twenty-two)
Save The World, Get The Girl

(*) setlist according to setlist.fm

That's a wrap! Now I'm off to sleep for about three weeks to recover... Thanks for checking out my review! 

NEW MUSIC MONDAY: With Confidence

(New Music Monday is adapted from Music Monday, hosted by Lauren at Always Me)

(l-r: Inigo Del Carmen, Jayden Seeley, Joshua Brozzesi, Luke Rockets)

I've been thinking about featuring With Confidence, one of the newest additions to the Hopeless Records roster, for a few weeks now. They were signed at the beginning of January, so they've been on the label for just over two months, but big things are already happening for the band - in the past few weeks they've announced their own headline Australian tour and supporting slots for both The Wonder Years and As It Is. 

Formed in Sydney in 2012, With Confidence started off as a three piece comprising of Jayden, Josh, and their high school friend Samuel Haynes. It wasn't long before Inigo joined their ranks, and the guys started posting videos on Youtube. Their first single 'Stand Again', taken from their self-released EP, 'Youth', was well-received, leading to slots across Australia, as support for bands such as The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Five Seconds Of Summer. 

Following the 'Youth' EP, in January 2014 Samuel announced that he was leaving the band - his replacement, Luke, joined, forming the With Confidence that we know and love today. They released a second EP, 'Distance', in January 2015, then were signed by Hopeless just twelve months later.

When the band signed to Hopeless, they released their newest single 'We'll Be Okay', which you can listen to below: 

You can certainly see why they supported 5 Seconds of Summer, because with their summery brand of pop heavy pop-punk, they fit in perfectly with that style of band. The song is a lot of fun, and for it to be the first song they've released since being signed is very impressive.

Thank you for checking out this New Music Monday! If you have a band and you'd like to be featured next week, you can contact me on Twitter or through my contact page.