LIVE REVIEW: Every Time I Die @ SWX, Bristol

Few tours warrant as much excitement as this one. With the reputation they’ve built for themselves over the years. EVERY TIME I DIE bring over not one, but two other stellar bands from their side of the pond and add in a splash of the blooming British hardcore scene. We caught the show in Bristol to witness the musical carnage!

HIGHER POWER bring energy, but when compared to the other bands on the line up they simply don’t cut the mustard so to speak. Their flange infused riffing is certainly unique, and they bring enough energy to get a few punters on the dancefloor but there does seem to be a sense of waiting for the following bands rather than enjoying them out right. Still, Britain’s answer to TURNSTILE are a funky hidden treasure of the emerging scene.

Rating: 6/10

Their meteoric rise still very much happening, KNOCKED LOOSE demand everyone’s attention. Their devastating live show is based on a sound that has deep roots in a genre never meant for a stage this size. Still, the young rabble play a confident set that refuses to let up and takes plenty of cuts from their fantastic debut. Should they follow up with another exceptional album to add to their live show, this band could be soon headlining shows this size.

Rating: 8/10 

After the release of their raging Outsider record comes COMEBACK KID to completely steal the show tonight. Playing with gusto and ample punch, their set remains firmly at a breakneck pace and they make sure to crush when the time is right. Wasted Arrow and Absolute provide the moshers with more than enough inspiration to tear the dance floor apart but it is the closing Wake The Dead that hammers home how fucking brilliant this band are.

Rating: 9/10 

It kind of goes without saying that EVERY TIME I DIE are going to be good. They have such a solid reputation that it is almost irrefutable: EVERY TIME I DIE are one of the best live bands ever. Still though, brilliant as they are, sometimes they are less brilliant than other times. Keith Buckley’s voice sounded rough after such relentless touring and the set takes a few songs to sink its claws in. The Coin Has a Say sets the venue alight, and a triumphant Apocalypse Now and Then offers a chance for fans to sing along to less aired classics. It’s impossible to think of a song that can decimate a crowd quite like Underwater Bimbos and with the final coupling of the best song the band have written Map Changes and a moody Fear and Trembling, it’s fair to say EVERY TIME I DIE are still utterly astonishing.

Rating: 8/10

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