LIVE REVIEW: Being As An Ocean @ The Asylum, Birmingham
A bitterly cold wind is whipping at the faces of those in line for a night of alternative music at one of Birmingham’s top alternative venues, The Asylum, tonight. Thankfully, booze and three stellar heavy bands led by BEING AS AN OCEAN await inside to warm the cockles of the second city’s emo contingent this Thursday night.
First up is UK metalcore act ACRES. Their anthemic post-hardcore songs aren’t particularly original, but they do translate well to the live setting, as the band’s animated performance gives life to the material. Between songs, frontman Ben Lumber is humble and welcoming, which is certainly refreshing to see from a metalcore frontman.
Rating: 7/10
Next up is Buckinghamshire five-piece AS EVERYTHING UNFOLDS. The well-balanced combination of metal breakdowns, sing-along choruses, and electronic flourishes feels like a perfect fit for a BEING AS AN OCEAN opening slot, and the crowd’s reaction proves this point.
Their melodic metalcore goes down a treat, with each jump and scream from energetic frontwoman Charlie Rolfe endearing the audience to the band further. Felt Like Home is a clear highlight, with its catchy chorus instantly connecting with every listener in the room. The set really goes off with closer On The Inside though, a punchy track that represents the perfect blend between catchy vocal lines and down-tuned riffery.
Rating: 8/10
The set from tonight’s headliners is that most coveted type of set: an anniversary set. It’s been a round decade since the band’s debut LP, Dear G-d first made waves in the world of alternative music and tonight, the four-piece treat us to almost the entire record, along with plenty of cuts from their four subsequent albums.
Despite being so closely associated with the ‘emo’ subgenre, BEING AS AN OCEAN are actually much harder to categorise bringing elements of post-hardcore, metalcore, and, believe it or not, spoken word into a melting pot of alternative genres. The Californian troupe’s bold fusion of sounds has made them divisive, and their refusal to commit to one cohesive sound has no doubt cost them some fans over the course of their career.
But through all of this experimentation, BEING AS AN OCEAN’s core fans have stuck by them and tonight, this dedicated few are rewarded with one of the finest rock shows of the year. Taking to the stage with the debut album’s rousing opener Nothing, Save the Power They’re Given, frontman Joel Quartuccio looks and sounds every bit the rockstar he has always been, commanding his congregation with fervour despite the gaps in the crowd.
The band wastes no time dialling up the intensity as they transition into arguably their biggest hit, Dear G-D. This almost painfully honest ballad hits just as hard as it did ten years ago. The poignant lyrics “for the first time in my life… I’m living for the sake of living, loving for the sake of loving”, hit even harder following the years of global turmoil we’ve lived through, and are continuing to live through.
L’exquisite d’ouleur and This Loneliness Won’t Be The Death Of Me have a similar impact, summoning every body to the barrier for some powerful scream-alongs. For hardcore fans, hearing deep album cuts like We Will Never Be The Same is a treat, while newcomers have plenty to enjoy with five tracks from their softer, electronically-led 2017 record Waiting For Morning To Come. Michael McGough‘s clean vocals shine on these tracks, bringing a different kind of sing-along energy to proceedings.
The set closes with, as ever, The Hardest Part Is Forgetting Those You Swore You Would Never Forget. As the frontman takes to the crowd to embrace his audience, it genuinely feels like being surrounded by family. It’s a special moment for the fans in attendance, from a band that can always be relied upon to give everything with each performance.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Birmingham from Serena Hill Photography here:
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