LIVE REVIEW: Impericon Never Say Die Tour @ SWX, Bristol
The Never Say Die Tour has been an annual staple of the winter touring cycle over the past few years, and it always serves to be a glimpse at some of the best and hungriest younger talent available in the alternative scene. This year being no different and fronted by the mighty NORTHLANE, Bristol’s SWX was set to host a long night of great fun.
Opening off the night and wanting to make the most of your set time is one thing, but THOUSAND BELOW feel like a puppy dog at a party, as they frantically try to shoehorn every live show cliche into their allotted time. From demanding the crowd to spin the room through to the band trying to throw in as much banter in between songs as possible, there never feels to be a moment when THOUSAND BELOW just slow down and smell the roses for a bit. Injecting the same amount of energy into their songs as the band do spreading it across their set and then this could’ve been an incendiary opening slot.
Rating: 5/10
Almost on the other side of the coin CURRENTS seem to be incredibly malaise about their performance, simply riding their vibe from the opening note to the closing chugs of Night Terror. The set never really takes off at any point, instead just plodding along with a mid tempo stomp and plenty of deep toned breakdowns to fill their time with. The crowd are clearly keen as well, as pits open up regularly from song to song, which makes it all the more disappointing that things don’t really pick up for the young band’s set, but then again, there never feels to be any energy coming from the stage. A bit more interaction, or even just a bit more oomph from the band and things might have been different, but the lads standing there and laying out some of the heftiest grooves you’ll hear all night is still decent enough to keep you entertained.
Rating: 5/10
POLAR make it abundantly clear that they are not willing to sit around and wait for the good times to find them, as they get on stage and go at the Bristol crowd with clenched teeth and a roundhouse swing. The British stalwarts have built a decent following around their intense metalcore sound, and when they fully get stuck in there are glimmers of gold in the set. The sound is muddy, which makes really getting into the band’s huge choruses harder than it should be, but coupled with some raging riffs and an attitude that refuses to take no for an answer and POLAR prove themselves to be confident standard bearers for the British metalcore scene. Don’t go watching them if you like hat wear though, because the demands for the crowd to “kick the shit out of the kid in the beanie” was more than enough encouragement for the crowd to collapse in on itself.
Rating: 7/10
The muddy sound really starts to make an imapct when CASEY take to the stage and the vocals begin to get lost amongst the mix, but the emotional post hardcore crew don’t let it halt them at all, instead they dive headfirst and deliver what could easily be argued as the set of the night. With two albums under their belt, the Welsh post hardcore crew sound confident, even if vocalist Tom Weaver is singing about how uncomfortable and awful it is living with depression. Their emotionally bare lyrics and huge guitar work come together in epic fashion here, as Phosphenes and Bloom envelope the room and steal the attention from every person present. There isn’t a face not looking at the stage during their performance, and with honest messages of hope dotted in between songs it really makes watching CASEY more of an experience than a gig.
Rating: 8/10
Despite having to follow the raw impact that CASEY made on the crowd, ALAZKA come out all guns blazing and try their damnedest to get the crowd moving with their pop-core musings. It works for the initiated, as those already familiar and comfortable with the German’s massive choruses and double vocal attack proceed to sing the words back and get involved. For the rest of the crowd this is just a chance to witness the best light show of the night whilst the five piece throw themselves around the stage without much success. This isn’t a bad performance, but the incessant announcement of one of the band’s heavier songs before another pop song plays is tiresome. ALAZKA write some genuine ear-worm vocal melodies that are dotted throughout the bands set, but the need to stand up against their metalcore counterparts in terms of stage manner doesn’t do the band any favours.
Rating: 5/10
Probably the band to stand out the most on the lineup, BEING AS AN OCEAN have never been strangers to being the odd one out. This time though it is more obvious than ever, as the band kick straight into a selection of their synth heavy latest material, Black & Blue and Know My Name hitting the right notes despite all the issues with the band’s sound. There is no bass or guitar in the mix, or at least that is worth mentioning. The sound is so flat, and the energy that should be there is only present thanks to the expert work of front man Joel Quartuccio as he enters the crowd and sings every word to the crowd individually. The light show compliments the atmosphere, but when the band get round to playing older songs like L’Exquisite Douleur or The Hardest Thing the lack of any real sound means that they are hollow shells of the songs they should be. Not a lost cause, but definitely not a show one would expect from a band like BEING AS AN OCEAN.
Rating: 5/10
Despite the hit and miss nature of tonight’s show, one thing is brutally clear: NORTHLANE are excellent. Genuinely, there shouldn’t be a person listening to alternative music who isn’t at least aware of NORTHLANE, because the way this band have gone strength to strength is astounding. Opening with Genesis and Scarab, the venue erupts immediately and the band refuse to let any momentum cease, as new track Vultures and Dream Awake both continue the carnage. The tightness with which the band play is envious; no mistakes are made and it simply surges even more energy into the crowd when technically difficult moments are performed with ease. The sound is noticeably better, with every note cutting through the mix and making its mark, which simply begs the question why the rest of the night had to suffer, but we digress. NORTHLANE do go almost as quickly as they came, something which seems to be a lasting issue for the band given how high octane their music is and how good Marcus is at commanding a crowd. A bit more refinement in the pacing of the bands set and NORTHLANE could be the best they’ve ever been, which is saying something considering how good they were to begin with.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action from Serena Hill Photography here:
