LIVE REVIEW: The Story So Far @ SWX, Bristol

It’s pretty easy to see the influence that THE STORY SO FAR have had on the pop punk scene since they became an integral part of it all back at the turn of the decade. The clear influences they took from neighbouring genres like hardcore gave their music that additional edge that set them apart from the pack whilst their undeniable song writing ability let them remain at the very front of the race. Some say that all changed with latest release Proper Dose and that’s just a silly thing to think, but the question of how some of the newer tracks would fair live was still a very valid one. We got the chance to catch them as they swung through a sold out SWX in Bristol.

The pretty unknown ALL GET OUT were the first up, and despite their obscurity they have no fear really throwing themselves into the set. The sound is hit and miss, the vocals sometimes flying in and out and the whole band melding into one wall of noise at times, but when the shining guitar leads do reveal themselves they really sing. The impassioned vocals from Nathan Hussey bleed with angst and its felt, as tracks like Whatever wash over the crowd with real grace. There feels to be a disconnect between the band and the audience though, whilst they are wonderful to watch, the spotty vocals and the weak sound really detracts from a lot of the audience really investing themselves. After all is said and done Nathan really quite weakly drops his guitar just careful enough not to break it but hard enough to make him seem somewhat rockstar, even if the set didn’t deserve a gesture quite as intense.

Rating: 6/10

CITIZEN are almost the perfect band for THE STORY SO FAR to bring on tour with them. The yin to the other’s yang, CITIZEN bring a strong heavy influence into their emo-punk sound and the crowd is incredibly keen for whatever they have to bring. Opening with Roam The Room, the crowd immediately disperse and open the dance floor, which seems weird for the often diverse and abrupt music of CITIZEN, but the present crowd know all the songs like the back of their hand, as the dance floor swells for The Summer and rushes towards the out stretched microphone during the chorus of Fever Days. It’s not all great, the sound problems follow on and the washy guitars simply drown the rhythm at times, making for a really shallow sound that does nothing for the emotional and aural impact the band go for. This is still an incredibly confident set regardless of technical issues, as the band engage and feed off the crowd and vice versa, making for a really engrossing set.

Rating: 8/10

The sold out crowd begins to get anxious in anticipation before the stage goes dark for THE STORY SO FAR and the deafening roars really shine a light on how popular the band have become over their tenure. The crowd sing back the opening riff of Nerve before the set fully kicks into gear. Proper Dose and Out of It, two of the strongest tracks on the new record, keep the momentum at a solid pace, but It’s when Things I Can’t Change begins that it becomes clear how much loved their earlier material actually is. This does seem to be a theme here, as All Wrong, Roam and the always frantic Quicksand all draw huge reactions, which is strange comparison to what one would think. The surprise tracks off Proper Dose, Take Me As You Please and Upside Down, both seem to act as real speed bumps in their set as opposed to the triumphant moments they should’ve been.

Then there comes the problem of how boring THE STORY SO FAR seem to be on stage at this point in their career. Rather than being reinvigorated by the excellent reception of their latest, and most experimental, release, the band simply stand in their designated spots on stage and rely on the energy of the crowd to see them through, luckily having It work this time, because of how invested the sold out crowd is in this band as shown by the love for the earliest material. Parker Cannon has regressed from being a charismatic front man to being a poor Liam Gallagher imitator and it remains one of the worst things about this band’s growth. A bit of movement or expression to give back to the crowd would do wonders and improving their live set might just propel this band even further.

Rating: 7/10

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