LIVE REVIEW: Trash Boat @ O2 Institute2, Birmingham
TRASH BOAT have returned once again to their UK stomping grounds for perhaps one of the last UK cycles in their Crown Shyness era, bringing down the roof of a packed out O2 Institute2 in Birmingham with support from WOES, DOLLSKIN and CAPSTAN.
WOES kicked in with an uplifting performance that reminded you why you love your local scene. Their set list was a refreshing taste of lively pop-punk jams that had an easy hook for oncoming audiences, but their boastfully eccentric personalities and charming character is what turned heads. Though the smaller crowd did underwhelm their talents, nonetheless the band poured every ounce of devotion and passion into each song and were undeniably a joy for many newcomers to their music.
Rating: 8/10
DOLL SKIN charged into the room with an outrageously insatiable and overall astonishing performance. The four-piece Arizonian badasses did not disappoint, kicking in with Daughter that’s a catchy anthem with a killer guitar solo from Alex Snowden who shredded riffs through the floorboards. What resonated most with audiences was their humbling stage presence and bluntly honest lyricisms that reveal the gruelling underbelly of society’s complicated issues and air their shared frustrations with the state of the world. A great example of this was their closing track, Puncha Nazi which is…pretty self-explanatory. But their bold punk songs and animated stage presence make it hard to be bored, audiences were pounding at the barriers with each song. One could argue that they were a massive standout for the night and someone to keep an eye on.
Rating: 9/10
CAPSTAN followed through with a ground-shaking performance that leaned into a heavier pop-punk sound, even borrowing a bit of hardcore stylings for some songs that sent the audience into complete uproar. Ironically, the band’s music created a gritty atmosphere within the room as fans stomped along in moshpits and climaxed their aggressions, yet the band carried themselves with the most warming, humble and kind-hearted nature on stage that the duality of it all felt strangely enjoyable.
Rating: 7/10
TRASH BOAT are synonymous for having amazing gigs, their live report card has lots of gold stars. The London four-piece lean more into aggressive pop punk, founded in their 2016 debut album that departed from generic cookie cutter pop-punk and borrows from its punk/hardcore counterpart that translate astonishingly for live shows.
The result of their belligerently vigorous sound is matched with bold stage personalities is chaos, just chaos. The crowd were ruthless, in the first minute of their set two moshpits broke out and several crowd surfers flew over the barricade. That same pent up angst and disorderly chaos was matched by the band who pounced onto the stage and commanded the room almost effortlessly. Kicking in with Inside Out, frontman Tobi Duncan admitted “we didn’t really do much of a press tour with Crown Shyness,” and thus the setlist was a smoothly refined mixture of the crème de le crème of their previous works, featuring Crown Shyness popular hits like Shade and Controlled Burn but took it back for old fans with tracks like Tring Quarry and Strangers.
Closing on Strangers, the O2 Institute2 was overflowing with fans. This tour has been an undeniable hit for TRASH BOAT and has seen them rise above the generic pop-punk litter and establish their own footing as their own unique band.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery from the night’s action in Birmingham from Yasmine Summan here:
