Pierce The Veil + Sleeping With Sirens + Issues @ o2 Academy, 8th April 2015
Tonight sees The World Tour, sponsored by Rockstar Energy Drink, in Birmingham. With support coming from Issues and the remainder of the bill being a co-headline split between Pierce The Veil and Sleeping With Sirens, the sold out crowd are in for a treat.
Playing hits from their latest release, Stingray Affliction, Issues are full of energy. The post-hardcore sextet bounce around the stage effortlessly throughout their six-song set. Three songs in and some technical issues bring their set to a halt, followed by a long delay; the irony! Ending with Hooligans, the single between their Black Diamond EP and their debut album, Stingray Affliction, Issues play an excellent opening set complete with circle pits, sing-alongs and bouncing; a lot of bouncing. The crowd are now nicely warmed up for the remainder of the night.
Having left my earplugs at home, the only thing I could do before Sleeping With Sirens came on was to brace myself. Fully braced and ready to go, the Floridian five-piece made their way onto the stage. It’s safe to say, I wasn’t ready. I’m expecting tinnitus for at least a week after this show and I shall be suing. Opening with Kick Me it is clear why this tour is co-headline. Despite not being on last, the reaction for Sleeping With Sirens was insane and they are quite obviously one of the biggest draws to this sold out show. With streamers and air cannons in their first track, the standard was set very high for the rest of the set; and they delivered. Track two, Congratulations sees more air cannons and a chorus infectiously catchy enough to kill off a small village. Track four, Low, gives vocalist Kellin Quinn a chance to show his versatility as a vocalist, pulling off both cleans and screams.
A small acoustic interlude compiled of tracks from their EP, If You Were A Movie, This Would Be Your Soundtrack, is kicked off with Scene Two: Roger Rabbit, complete with beatbox solo and is followed by a cover of Iris, originally by Goo Goo Dolls, that is dedicated to all the girls in the room. Plugging their latest album Madness with track eight, Go Go Go, all of the quintet return to continue the set. We Like It Loud sees Quinn sing through a megaphone and also provides a reason for the excessive volumes emanating from the predominantly teenage girl fanbase. After taking a short break to allow Quinn to sign a card for someone’s birthday, they kick back in with their penultimate track, If I’m James Dean, You’re Audrey Hepburn. Ending the set with fan favourite If You Can’t Hang and having the crowd sing over the band is proof that Sleeping With Sirens have more than earned their place on bill and have left a very tough act to follow for co-headliners, Pierce The Veil.
Opening with May These Noises Startle You In Your Sleep Tonight followed by Hell Above, Pierce The Veil take the stage by storm and prove why they’ve taken the headline slot. Keeping the energy up, the Californian quintet burst straight into Caraphernelia. “How are you Birmingham?” yells frontman Vic Fuentes before guitarist Tony Perry plays the opening riff of Bulls In The Bronx, giving the crowd very little time to catch their breath; but they don’t seem to care. After six tracks of fast paced, breakdown ridden, post-hardcore goodness, Pierce The Veil finally put the brakes on to play Hold On Till May. A simple stage set up tonight made up of three ego risers and a drum riser on which sits drummer, Mike Fuentes like an aggressive bird on a very small perch. Being at the back of the stage, he clearly wants people to know he is there and goes about it by thrashing at his kit like Animal from The Muppets, but with triple the amount of rhythm.
Breaking up the set, Vic Fuentes plays a solo acoustic version of I’m Low On Gas And You Need A Jacket, requesting that the crowd sing along; they do, carrying the bridge without him. Having given the sold out audience a period of rest, it’s straight back in with A Match Into Water, that gives bassist, Jaime Preciado an opportunity to prove himself with some excellent screamed vocals. As Fuentes introduces each member of the band, he challenges his brother, Mike, to play the fastest drum beat he can. He agrees to this providing the crowd circle pit; so they do. Penultimate is Bulletproof Love, that one lucky fan gets pulled on stage for and then receives envious glares from around the room; I’m not entirely sure the glares were planned. Leaving the stage for a minute and then re-entering to chants of King For A Day, the Mexi-core mob with the help of Kellin Quinn, end the night with King For A Day.
Six sets of streamers and a whole lot of pressurised air later and the World Tour has come to a close in Birmingham. All three bands stood out tonight and put in excellent sets. However, Pierce The Veil most definitely came out on top. With it being three years since their last release, I’m guessing we can expect a new one very soon, and I will wait with baited breath and excitement for it to be announced.
Setlist — Pierce The Veil
May These Noises Startle You in Your Sleep Tonight
Hell Above
Caraphernelia
Bulls in the Bronx
Disasterology
Hold On Till May
Props & Mayhem
I’m Low on Gas and You Need a Jacket (Acoustic)
A Match Into Water
Bulletproof Love
Encore:
King for a Day (with Kellin Quinn)
Setlist – Sleeping With Sirens
Kick Me
Congratulations
Here We Go
Low
A Trophy Father’s Trophy Son
Scene Two: Roger Rabbit
Iris (Goo Goo Dolls cover)
Go Go Go
We Like It Loud
If I’m James Dean, You’re Audrey Hepburn
If You Can’t Hang
Review: Dan Wilson
Photographs: Dave Musson