In the two years since Senses Fail last played Norwich Waterfront a lot has changed, both guitarists have left to be replaced by new guys Zack Roach and Matt Smith. The band have also released a new album ‘The Fire’ arguably the best work of the best.
The new members provide the band with a new found energy, making the set an hour of non stop screamo entertainment. Buddys vocals are sounding better live than they ever have before (something which has let the band down in the past).
The only real disappointment of the set, is also the best part for many fans. The band focus on their older material, and only play three songs from ‘The Fire’. Personally I would have liked to see them play more of The Fire, but you can’t fault them playing the fans favourites and playing more from Let It Enfold You and Still Searching than other albums.
A mixed day for Me Vs Hero. First day of tour and also the release date of their debut album ‘Days That Shape Our Lives’, but on the down side, their CDs haven’t arrived so they don’t have any to sell at the gig and they end up stuck in traffic all day, only arriving at the venue 15 minutes before their set. This causes them to cut their set time by 15 minutes, and leaves many people still queuing to get into the venue (myself included) when they start. I only managed to catch the last four songs due to the massive queue, but I’m glad I got to see them. Me Vs Hero do pop punk better than any other band in the UK at the moment. Due to not getting a proper soundtrack there’s a few technical problems, and when they finally get to play ‘A Loss In The Ranks’ singer Sam Thompson finds it hard to complete a song in memory of Alex Mcculloch. The band finish the set with ‘Can You Count Suckers’ whilst diving around as the moshpit explodes with crowdsurfers.
Deaf Havana have had a great 2010 despite losing screamer Ryan at the start of the year. Although the band are from Kings Lynn, Norwich is treated like a hometown show, full of family and friends as well as packed with fans. Just over a year ago Deaf Havana were playing the 100 capacity marquee, but thanks to the success of Friends Like These, and new single Smiles All Round, on Kerrang!, and Scuzz they managed to almost sell out the Waterfront. It’s great to see a local band doing so well, but this is down to years of hard work finally paying off. The band focus heavily on the new material from their forthcoming album (out sometime in 2011), starting the set with ‘My Life Is Average’ and ‘Smiles All Round’. James has become a great frontman in a short space of time.
Deaf Havana have managed to reinvent themselves as a new band, and managed to keep their fans as well as gaining many more. Tonight is a celebration of the years of hard work, as well as a nod towards the bright future of the band. As a split headliner gig the band only get enough time to play 9 songs ending with a great version of ‘Friends Like These’ which they have adapted so it doesn’t miss the lack of screaming.
It’s been a couple of years since Sum 41 last toured in the UK, back at the start of 2008 to promote their Underclass Hero album, and to be honest not much has changed. The bands set is still charged full of energy, the hits are all there and Deryck Whibley is still a great frontman, always keeping the crowd engaged. This was the sixth time I’d seen Sum 41, and they have always proved themselves to be a solid band live, even when messing around, they pull off all the songs.
In the two years since they last played this venue not much has changed in terms of set list, it still features heavily on the songs from ‘All Killer No Filler’ and ‘Does This Look Infected’, as well as the singles from the last two albums. One great addition to the set is a cover of Paint It Black, where Brown Tom gets to show off his vocal skills. The band still invite members of the audience on stage, so a select few can watch most of the set from the side of the stage.
The only real disappointment is the lack of new songs. The band only play Skumfuk from their forthcoming album ‘Screaming Bloody Murder’, which sounds so good, you want to hear more of the new album material. The album should be out early next year.
Devil Sold His Sold have been getting rave reviews everywhere this year, and to be honest, it’s hardly surprising. They pull off progressive hardcore in a way that many other bands try but fail. Singer Ed Gibbs dives round the stage, delivering note perfect harmonies, followed by ear drum piercing screams. What make Devil Sold His Soul stand out is that as well as doing the heavy side of the music well, they have also mastered when and how to fit the quieter/atmospheric side of the music in, matching bands such as Thursday and Underoath.
The band have already announced a headline tour for 2011, and are wwll worth checking out at Norwich Arts Centre on 14th February.
Architects are just epic. From the moment they hit the stage, to the moment they leave, it’s just a sea of bodies. Each band member covers every inch of the stage, 5 crowd surfers a minute pile off the barriers, non stop for an hour. Despite all the movement, you can’t help but being in awe of the technical ability of the band. Architects do Hardcore better than any other UK band around at the moment.
Whilst the band impress on stage, the 500 strong audience sing along to every word of every song. Despite packing venues and gaining fans all over the world, the band are still humble. Singer Sam Carter declares that the band aren’t rock stars, and that they really appreciate every person in the room for helping them be where they are. Now, a lot of bands say this, but the difference is, you believe Sam actually means it.
Whilst melodic pieces are thrown in, it’s the heavier parts that Architects excess at. The few new songs played from forthcoming album The Here And Now (out early 2011) suggest the album could be one of the best of 2011.
Second night in a row for us at Thetford Forest (following Scouting For Girls and Diana Vickers), and this night was even more pop orientated. Pop music is a bit out of our comfort zone, but having already seen and enjoyed The Saturdays last year, we were looking forward to seeing them again.
First up were The Wanted, a new boy band. Having only previously heard their upcoming debut single ‘All Time Low’ I didn’t have high hopes for The Wanted, but was actually surprised by the strength of their vocals and overall perfromance. As expected the band went down really well with the young and mainly female audience. The Wanted have much stronger songs than All Time Low, which makes it (for me anyway) an odd choice for their introduction to the world. Expect this band to be massive by the end of the year, as they have the songs to match other boy bands like JLS.
Last time I saw The Saturdays back in June 2009, Vanessa had injured her ankle earlier in the tour and was reduced to sitting on a stool for the whole of the set, whilst the other girls danced around the stage. This time Mollie had a skin infection (they don’t seem to have much luck), and therefore The Saturdays were down to four members.
Although the band were on a big outdoor stage, the girls had a much smaller production than last year (click here for pictures from that gig), and I think many of the audience would have loved to have seen a full on produced show (although as this is one of many one off shows, this wouldn’t have been possible). The despite he crowd being much smaller in number than the previous nights Scouting For Girls concert, it was a great show for The Saturdays to do, allowing them to perform in front of a much younger audience than the one that could have seen them on last years tour, and I’m guessing this was many kids first ever show, and the whole crowd loved them.
The Saturdays are one of the hardest working pop bands out there, this time last year they were still promoting their debut album ‘Chasing Lights’ but since then they have released second album ‘Wordshaker’ at the end of last year, and had time to record a new album ‘Headlines’ which is due to released in August. Having three albums worth of material has also benefited the girls, with them having a more varied set.
Despite there only being four of them, it was still a good performance, these girls can really sing. Stand out tracks are ‘Up’ and ‘Forever Is Over’ as well as new single ‘Missing You’.
Thetford Forest is full, with 7,000 eager fans waiting to see Scouting For Girls and Diana Vickers perform. A lovely setting for a summer gig, thanks to the surroundings and nice weather.
First up is Diana Vickers, who we last saw back in May at Norwich Waterfront. With only one album behind her, a 30 minute set suits Diana best allowing her to showcase the best songs from her debut album ‘Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree’. Apart from the singles ‘The Boy Who Murdered Love’ and ‘Once’ stand out track is ‘You’ll Never Get To Heaven’ which is three minutes of pop heaven and surely has to be a single later in the year.
The thing that separates Diana Vickers and other pop stars is her energy. She is a ball of energy, who never stops jumping, bouncing and dancing round the stage, and despite this never misses a note. For such a young performer she is outstanding. A must see live.
Having not been a fan of Scouting For Girls I was quite surprised by their performance. They are a really tight band live, whilst at the same time there’s more power to their songs than on record.
Singer Roy Stride is a better frontman than I could have imagined, only playing keyboards for part of the songs allows him the freedom to jump and run around the stage, engaging the fans, and give life to the performance.
During the 80 minute set the band play all the hits; Heartbeat, Elvis Ain’t Dead, It’s Not About You, recent number one This Ain’t A Love Song and closing the show with She’s So Lovely, they even throw in a cover of Live And Let Die. Perfect for a big outdoor concert, with almost every member of the 7,000 strong audience singing along to every word.
