Attending gigs at the Peel is always a weird experience, let alone to see a band with the level of presence as Yellowcard. For anyone who has never been to or heard of the Peel, it is a little gem of a venue in the heart of Kingston suburbia. Located amongst stripper bars, kebab shops and council estate, it is the most unassuming of pubs; little would you know that tonight, history was going to be made: Yellowcard's first (two!) ever Kingston show(s). Banquet Records, an independent record store based in Kingston, has long been hosting big bands at tiny venues, such as All Time Low and You Me At Six just to name a couple, so it's about time that Yellowcard grace the stage.
Before the immense Yellowcard take us on a trip down memory lane, it's up to the Swedish quintent Like Torches (formerly know as You Ate My Dog) to warm us up (not that we need it in this sweat box!). I was honestly completely unaware that any kind of pop-punk/post hardcore scene existed in Sweden, possibly out of ignorance, but before this mammoth tour, Like Torches were not much more than a blip on the UK 'alternative' radar. Their show, however, would suggest otherwise. Starting this tour right on the back of the release of their new album, Keep Your Head High, which was produced by Yellowcard members Ryan Mendez and Ryan Key, this was the perfect opportunity for Like Torches to break across the channel and into UK scene. They weren't afraid of the challenge and they came out on stage as though they themselves were headlining. Their set had everything from sing-alongs, lead by the wonderfully harmonic voices of Jonathan and Daniel Kärn, to fast-paced percussion, breakdowns and pits. There wasn't a single song in the set that wasn't anything less than infectious! Though the songs Wounds Like These and Made Of Glass.
After their set I bought the album from them, and I have been listening to it all day, so for anyone that likes their post-hardcore bouncy and with lots of hooks, I recommend picking up Like Torches-Keep You Head High.
In the sold out 250 capacity room that feels much more like someone's basement or garage rather than a venue that is just about to host one of the biggest pop-punk bands of all time, the atmosphere is electric. There is already sweat dripping from the ceiling and walls from the matinee show that ended hardly an hour before this one started. Then Yellowcard enter the room and deafening screams and yells erupt out of the mouths of this packed out room.
Undoubtedly they were a little put off by the matinee show, which from the sounds of it didn't resemble the kind of no barriers punk show they were expecting, and they were not going to have another one like it. The moment they got on stage, they demanded a real punk show. No photos. No idle standing around. Everyone had to get involved. Without further ado, Yellowcard blared in with Southern Air openers The Awakening and Always Summer.
One danger with this tour was the fear that either it was going to be nothing more than a nostalgia trip, replaying Ocean Avenue start to finish and not moving forward musically, or that their new material was not going to have the same impact as their established classics and simply wouldn't live up to the name. I don't know what other shows were like, but this show certainly did not suffer from either. Yellowcard were not shy from playing their less heard new material as demonstrated with their opening tracks. Perhaps it was because it was such a small intense and intimate gig, and filled with the more committed fans that no song was unknown or got anything less than a full sing along. Despite this, it is undoubtable that Yellowcard are definitely back on form. If the pop-punk era was just as influential and popular as it was when Ocean Avenue was written, Southern Air would have been an album of classic pop-punk anthems. The Awakening is already one of my favourite ever Yellowcard songs, and it seemed like the rest of the crowd felt the same.
It did take a while for Yellowcard to really get into the set, possibly because of the disappointment of the matinee show (sorry for anyone who was there!), but soon enough, it became apparent that this show was a different affair. There wasn't a single person who didn't have a massive grin on their face; very few people were shying away from getting messy in the pit and at the front. Yellowcard demanded a circle pit to involve at least 3 females, and believe me, it doesn't happen that often, but they managed to get almost a dozen girls involved. It was the most positive, uplifting, all inclusive and just generally best atmosphere I have experienced at a gig for a long time if not ever. As every band does, Yellowcard said that this was the best gig that they have played all tour, but for once I actually believed them.
Despite a couple of technical difficulties affecting Ryan Mendez, Yellowcard were spotless. Any band that can pull off playing an electric violin on stage at a tiny little raucous pop-punk show should get a lot of praise! And Yellowcard didn't just pull it off, Sean Mackin was exceptional. You could see and feel from the floor how humid it was up on stage, and when Sean said his frets were melting, you couldn't be sure of whether he was joking.
Unfortunately, as the intro of Ocean Avenue, kicked in, we all knew that it was the end, the show was over. Truth be told, it has to be said that Yellowcard have aged since the days of Ocean Avenue, and they joked about how they can't handle these kinds of intense chaotic punk gigs, with no barrier, where people are free to jump on stage, any more. Though there was some truth behind this, it didn't stop Yellowcard from giving it their all and playing one hell of a brilliant gig.
YELLOWCARD FESTIVAL RUMOURS:
Yellowcard festival appearances were speculated about on the night. They admitted they really wanted to play Reading/Leeds but hadn't been asked yet.
Also, Yellowcard said that they have been confirmed to play another UK festival this summer but couldn't say which. Does anyone have any ideas? Slam Dunk, Download, Hevy....?
After their set I bought the album from them, and I have been listening to it all day, so for anyone that likes their post-hardcore bouncy and with lots of hooks, I recommend picking up Like Torches-Keep You Head High.
 |
| Signed Like Torches Album |
Undoubtedly they were a little put off by the matinee show, which from the sounds of it didn't resemble the kind of no barriers punk show they were expecting, and they were not going to have another one like it. The moment they got on stage, they demanded a real punk show. No photos. No idle standing around. Everyone had to get involved. Without further ado, Yellowcard blared in with Southern Air openers The Awakening and Always Summer.
One danger with this tour was the fear that either it was going to be nothing more than a nostalgia trip, replaying Ocean Avenue start to finish and not moving forward musically, or that their new material was not going to have the same impact as their established classics and simply wouldn't live up to the name. I don't know what other shows were like, but this show certainly did not suffer from either. Yellowcard were not shy from playing their less heard new material as demonstrated with their opening tracks. Perhaps it was because it was such a small intense and intimate gig, and filled with the more committed fans that no song was unknown or got anything less than a full sing along. Despite this, it is undoubtable that Yellowcard are definitely back on form. If the pop-punk era was just as influential and popular as it was when Ocean Avenue was written, Southern Air would have been an album of classic pop-punk anthems. The Awakening is already one of my favourite ever Yellowcard songs, and it seemed like the rest of the crowd felt the same.
It did take a while for Yellowcard to really get into the set, possibly because of the disappointment of the matinee show (sorry for anyone who was there!), but soon enough, it became apparent that this show was a different affair. There wasn't a single person who didn't have a massive grin on their face; very few people were shying away from getting messy in the pit and at the front. Yellowcard demanded a circle pit to involve at least 3 females, and believe me, it doesn't happen that often, but they managed to get almost a dozen girls involved. It was the most positive, uplifting, all inclusive and just generally best atmosphere I have experienced at a gig for a long time if not ever. As every band does, Yellowcard said that this was the best gig that they have played all tour, but for once I actually believed them.
Despite a couple of technical difficulties affecting Ryan Mendez, Yellowcard were spotless. Any band that can pull off playing an electric violin on stage at a tiny little raucous pop-punk show should get a lot of praise! And Yellowcard didn't just pull it off, Sean Mackin was exceptional. You could see and feel from the floor how humid it was up on stage, and when Sean said his frets were melting, you couldn't be sure of whether he was joking.
Unfortunately, as the intro of Ocean Avenue, kicked in, we all knew that it was the end, the show was over. Truth be told, it has to be said that Yellowcard have aged since the days of Ocean Avenue, and they joked about how they can't handle these kinds of intense chaotic punk gigs, with no barrier, where people are free to jump on stage, any more. Though there was some truth behind this, it didn't stop Yellowcard from giving it their all and playing one hell of a brilliant gig.
YELLOWCARD FESTIVAL RUMOURS:
Yellowcard festival appearances were speculated about on the night. They admitted they really wanted to play Reading/Leeds but hadn't been asked yet.
Also, Yellowcard said that they have been confirmed to play another UK festival this summer but couldn't say which. Does anyone have any ideas? Slam Dunk, Download, Hevy....?
No comments:
Post a Comment