It’s the first time in a while that the barfly has been sold out so the room is absolutely rammed. It makes a nice change to be warm in there, but the long wait for Azriel gets rather tedious. However their tactics clearly paid off, with a big 2-step pit opening up as soon as the boys walk on stage.

Their brutal metalcore is tight, but unimaginative. Like a lot of bands of this genre, a one of song is very cool, and their albums are usually very good, but once onstage all of the technicality is lost, leaving the audience with a constant barrage of very samey sounding heaviness. The vocalist, while impressively lively lacks power, and when all you can really hear is the vocals this really cuts down on the impact of the band.

Next on is the very similar sounding For The Fallen Dreams. A definite improvement on Azriel, but not really what was needed to get people in the mood for the headliners. Two metalcore bands in support of hardcore punk just seems a bit odd. FTFD play a pretty tight set and have some good fun on stage, but there’s not much more that can be said about them.

Finally A Day To Remember hit the stage, and it’s clear who everyone is here to see. Mass cheering, and screams of ‘I love you’ from the front row as soon as front man Jeremy walks out, and crowd surfing seconds into the first song. The band are very tight considering that their guitarist was a last minute stand-in for Tom who had broken his wrist only weeks before, and get the audience involved from the start. It is clear that one good cover of a pop song is enough to take a band from half empty shows and support slots to great heights. Not that they don’t deserve it, these guys clearly play their hardest, and love every second.

While the sound quality is a little mushy, the vocals cut through nicely meaning every song is well recognisable and the crowd sings back every word. There were points when the people nearby over-powered the band themselves, and its times like that and the shiver goes down your spine that you know you’re seeing something special. Overall a great show, although the PA could’ve been better, I recommend seeing these guys soon.

Review - Terra Duff

Photos - Dave Musson