LIVE REVIEW: Casey @ Satan’s Hollow, Manchester

The melodic hardcore scene is seeing some serious attention at the moment, with bands like BEING AS AN OCEAN owning stages on all continents, and those like HOLDING ABSENCE gathering a cult following in the UK. However, the underdog of the genre at the moment is undoubtedly Wales’ own CASEY. They have been on the up and up since their emotional debut release, Love Is Not Enough in 2016, and we headed down to see their show in Manchester this year in support of their more melodic new effort, Where I Go When I Am Sleeping. They brought with them a packed support bill comprising of CANVAS, RARITY and ENDLESS HEIGHTS.

CANVAS were up first, and whilst they did not encourage much movement in the crowd as the first band of the night, the turnout even this early was reasonable. Playing a refreshingly original sounding set of their passionate and raw tracks, heads were nodding and they will have undoubtedly found some new fans. Of particular note was the strong vocal performance of Ricky Clarke, and the highlight of the set came from Hospital Beds.

Rating: 7/10

Following close behind were Aussies RARITY. They brought with them a slightly less humble vibe than CANVAS, spending a reasonable amount of the set heckling the crowd for not dancing enough. Whilst their songs were played well, the set had a number of technical problems, and in combination with the unsavoury attitude of their frontman, their performance left a slightly sour taste. However, a select few in the crowd seemed undeterred and sang along with vigour.

Rating: 4/10

ENDLESS HEIGHTS were the last ones on before CASEY and proceeded to pound out an absolutely fantastic set. Playing tracks from their recent record Vicious Pleasure, they seemed to have a reasonable following within the audience. Come A Little Closer had several singing along. A brilliant performance from their drummer, in combination with their wonderfully fresh and catchy song-writing made for a thoroughly enjoyable live experience. With ability like theirs, they’re assuredly a band to keep an eye on in the next couple of years.

Rating: 8/10

It wasn’t long before CASEY took to centre stage in Satan’s Hollow, to great excitement and anticipation from the crowd. Mild-mannered and charismatic vocalist Tom Weaver commented upon the fact that the previous year, they had played the same venue to a crowd of about fifteen people, a number which seemed to be about ten times more this time around. Their 45-minute set ranged across both of their releases, with response to the newer material being just as positive as their old material. Highlights of the set came with songs such as the beautiful Darling, in which there were two guest vocal performances. New song Fluorescents also translated very well into the live setting, as well as their choice of Little Bird to end the set on, which had the entire room singing along. Whilst the set was a little short, this was unsurprising as the drummer is still recovering from a slipped disc injury. If they continue growing as they have been doing in the past year, great things will undoubtedly be to come from CASEY. Expect to see them gracing stages with BEING AS AN OCEAN and others in the years to come.

Rating: 9/10