Young Guns + Holding Absence + Beyond Recall @ Asylum, 23rd September, 2017
We kicked off the night with Beyond Recall; a rock band from Bristol who first took to the stage in almost complete darkness, sporting white masks. Their style reminded me of All Time Low; pop-like lyrics with edgy riffs; perfect for jumping around to. Their energetic performance went down well with the mixed demographic crowd.
‘Get It Right’, with it’s upbeat nature and catchy chorus reminded me of A Day to Remember’s Common Courtesy (2013) era; the punkier aspects coming from the fast drumming. ‘Up Up’ was more my thing overall and instantly reminded me of Don Broco’s ‘Thug Workout’ and even older Enter Shikari stuff; tongue-in-cheek, experimental with the use of guttural growls and shrieks. In this song, singer Zaid Elgahmi’s vocals were very melodic reminding me of Bullet For My Valentine’s Matt Tuck. Banger.
The thing that impressed me most of all with this band is their humble attitude and message. Towards the end of their set they stopped playing and singer Zaid Elgahmi discussed teenage suicide rates and it’s link to bullying; with him ending by saying if anyone in the room wants to chat then the entire band will listen after the gig.
Hats off to you, Sir.
Next up we had Holding Absence; a band I’ve heard of multiple times and was eager to see. Having only been around for a year the band has supported the likes of Being As An Ocean and Burning Down Alaska; as well as being signed to the prestigious Sharp Tone Records.
Their style can be compared with Architects, particularly Daybreaker (2012), Lucas Woodland’s emotional singing accompanied with beautiful bursts of screaming instantly giving a Sam Carter esque-vibe, evident in their song ‘Heaven Knows’. Their hard hitting and obviously quite personal songs give a sense of awe which is hard to put words to.
‘Penance’ again with Sam Carter undertones particularly when Lucas screams, showcases a band who knows exactly what they’re doing. It’s a rollercoaster from start to finish and even the music video is stunning. The start is slow and spacey; but builds up with Lucas shouting angrily, ‘Time after time, I dream of leaving this place’, the song then slows down continually until Lucas is virtually whispering. Then the guitars come crashing in for the chorus. It’s a triumph.
‘Permanant’ saw them display their The Smashing Pumpkins influence with Lucas vocals starting subtle and almost non-chalant; before getting down to the deep emotion of the chorus with shoutier lyrics.
They are definitely one to watch. Future stars in the making.
Young Guns up next, this was my second time photographing/reviewing them in the space of a year and after catching their headline set at 2000 Trees last summer my expectations were sky-high. They didn’t disappoint. Alternative rock down to the bone, they can be compared with Breaking Benjamin and Thirty Seconds To Mars.
They opened with ‘In the Night’ from ‘All Our Kings Are Dead’ (2010), an older one but a nod to their humble roots I’m sure; I remember seeing this one on Kerrang back in the day. ‘Rising Up’ from ‘Ones and Zeros’ (2015), saw them drop one of many bangers early on, Gustav’s voice reaching those commanding levels we all know and love. During this song, their amps lit up around the edges with a lovely yellow glow which from a photographic point of view is magical.
Gustav Wood, captivating as ever, has one focus on his mind during every gig; the fans. If they’re enjoying it then he is too.
The band then jumped back into ‘All Our Kings Are Dead’ (2010) for ‘Weight of the World’, and it’s easy to see why, it’s a classic, the energy level is electrifying. They followed with ‘Stitches’ from the same album, a slower one for the audience to sing a long too. Stopping mid-way through their set, a cover of Foo Fighters’ ‘My Hero’ became a welcome addition to their promising start, Gustav’s voice doing justice on the massive chorus.
Delving into their newest album, ‘Echoes’ (2016), ‘Living In A Dream Is So Easy’, saw their more refined, mature, style emerge. They followed with ‘Buried’, ‘Bulletproof and finally ‘Echoes’. Crowd pleasers off the new album for sure, with ‘Bulletproof’ being one of my favourites.
‘Bones’ was unleashed in the encore of their set, a set which was cut short due to the afterparty at UPRAWR starting.
They delivered, as they always do. The audience had a blast.
Review and Images: Neale Hayes