LIVE REVIEW: As December Falls @ Electric, Bristol

It feels like barely a heartbeat has passed since AS DECEMBER FALLS last stormed Electric (formerly SWX). In reality, it’s been just over a year – but judging by the queue snaking around Bristol and the buzz in the air, absence has definitely made the heart grow louder. With REDHOOK and THE HARA in tow, tonight’s set-up screams chaos in all the best ways.

If there’s one band who refuse to arrive quietly, it’s THE HARA. Strobes flash, distortion roars, and frontman Josh Taylor steps out – while answering a ringing phone on stage. It’s theatrical, chaotic and instantly entertaining.
The energy spikes fast. By the end of the first song, guitarist Zack Breen has already vaulted the barrier to incite the first pit of the evening. Two tracks later, Josh is crowd-surfing like it’s his natural habitat.

Sure, the audience starts a little sluggish (Bristol, it’s a weeknight – we get it), but THE HARA refuse to settle for lukewarm. By the time the “everybody crouch – and JUMP!” moment lands, the whole room is in it together. An explosive opener that lit the fuse for what’s to come.

Rating: 8/10

Australia’s alt-rock misfits REDHOOK return to the UK like they never left, bringing that signature Aussie bite with them. The room is warmed up but REDHOOK ignite it. The set is relentless: riffs that skid across genres, choruses designed to be yelled back, and movement non-negotiable. Then, a saxophone! Because why the hell not? Just when you think you’ve got them pinned, they throw curveballs and costume changes that shift the vibe between songs like chapters in a neon-lit comic book.

Vocalist Emmy Mack climbs the barricade, arm outstretched like a rock-and-roll messiah pulling the crowd in closer, while saying “You with us? GOOD.” With the repose being a unanimous “YES!” from the crowd. REDHOOK don’t just perform, they invade the senses. Bravo

Rating: 9/10

There’s a special kind of pop-punk magic when AS DECEMBER FALLS hit this stage. Third time performing here, second time headlining – and it feels like a home town victory. They blast straight into their opener Burn It All Down – a neon-bright dose of riffs and rebellion – before seamlessly weaving new album cuts with the fan-favourite anthems that built this community in the first place.

Bethany Hunter is a whole storm: charismatic, sharp, playful – a frontwoman who doesn’t command the spotlight so much as bend it to her will. The band’s chemistry? Electric in every sense. Yes, we say it every time, but AS DECEMBER FALLS stay ridiculously consistent. It’s hard to invent new ways to call a band awesome, but they leave us no choice.

There’s a cheeky detour into BLINK 182‘s I Miss You – that doubles as a running joke – as guitarist Timmy Francis is on “microphone probation”. Naturally, he uses them to encourage more and more crowd surfers to tumble blissfully over the barrier. Chaos: achieved.

Three bands. One night. Zero breaths spared. AS DECEMBER FALLS deliver again. Fast, fun, and with enough heart to power Bristol’s nightlife for weeks. If they hit your city, don’t think. Just go.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Bristol from Serena Hill Photography here: 

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