Moose Blood + Roam + Zoax @ The Fighting Cocks

Recently I have been browsing the internet and social media sites for new, raw and fresh upcoming bands who I have acquired a liking to, triggering my senses that one day they will become big.
This so happened to be Moose Blood. As recently they played two shows in London for free, for a small intermate audiences along with Zoax and Roam. The reason why I found out about the was from a dear friend who wouldn't stop banging on about how great and unique they sound. Now I trust her judgment as she has proven to show me some of the most underrated yet mind blowing talent, England has to offer. As well as that she had previously gotten me into the supporting band of these two shows, Roam! Instantly falling in love with their upbeat pop punk genre, I was waiting for the day in which I could see them live.
This so happened to be one Sunday afternoon at Banquet Record's linked pub, The Fighting Cocks, which a few of their shows are held at.

Never being inside this venue or Pub, I didn't quite know what to expect as it was a full line up of three different genre bands playing together for a few lucky fans.
Only really familiar with Roam, I was excited to hear the other two bands perform live to see what the fuss was about.

First up was Zoax, who are a five piece rock based band from London. Arriving late, we only got to catch the last two songs of their set, yet nevertheless they were surprisingly solid. The lead singer Adam took to the floor where he greeted the crowd in a much enthusiastic bouncing manner, circling the small space we left him, he roamed around the place, filling up every empty motionless gap he could find, which really did grip me to their sound further. Already regretting turning up late, the band proved to be one worth getting to see on time, even though I only managed to catch the last two songs, they seemed to make up for the whole set. From the moment we entered the venue, we could already hear them outside, making the loudest of noise in such a small room.

The venue it's self was pretty small as the stage was in line with the floor, as it was at the back of the pub, despite it's size it seemed appropriate for these bands to play, as the room seemed packed with a quite a decent turn out.

The next band on were Roam, whom I was looking most forward to see. Again another five pieced pop punk band from Brighton/ Eastbourne, they all appeared very young in age, emerging within the crowds population, this was a band everyone could easily relate to. Previously listening to their music, I have adored them and see them becoming very big in the widely growing pop punk scene at the moment, as they seem to be hitting all the right spots. Only recently forming in 2012, it has just been a year for them yet they have come so far, as just announced they will be supporting Neck Deep on their tour in January, ( another gig I wouldn't want to miss).

Taking to the stage shortly after, the band wasted no time getting right into what they do best, playing a fully spirited show with lead singer Alex taking to the floor space, whilst the other members remained on stage.
Introducing them selves to the already familiar crowd, Roam started their set in full pop punk motion, carrying out their upbeat guitar rifts along with the head bobbing drum beats I found it hard not to let my body move along to this catchy beat.
Each intro into the song remained a sense of nostalgia, however each one being independent and unique in the way the verse and lyrics took as it progress to a much faster build up to the chorus.
For a young and fresh new band, Roam proved to have the skills and appeal for a much experienced pop punk band, and even better than some who have been around for a while now, they truly did deserve much more recognition that they have now, and someday I can see them becoming very likable in the music world.
Nothing In Return was one of the songs that played off their mini album "Head Down" which proved to be my favorite. The simplistic tempo, infused with the echoing sounds of the bridge, captivated me in a feeling of unison and community as a few people began chanting back the lyrics in pure passion.
(Listen to the live stream of it for free here: Head down mini album)

Another thing I liked about Roam was that they all looked to happy to be playing in front of such a small audience, making eye contact with the crowd, meeting their gaze with a smile boosted the whole atmosphere in such a small packed room. The set lasted for a decent amount of time, as towards the end more of the crowd got into the music, while Alex did his final circle of the room, bouncing around in every direction.
For a fact, they were the highlight of the night, as soon as they hit the stage, they had already got the crowd going and also left us in a high spirited mood, as their songs are much relatble, encouraging positive memories.

Following the first two live performance was finally Moose Blood themselves as previously playing at the Fighting Cocks before the band were much too familiar with the surroundings.

Not exactly knowing what to expect for their set as I had only just browsed on them, I could already tell by the masses of more people joining the floor, filling up the space, getting right close to where the stage started, excited for them to play that it was going to be good.
The emo band are originally from Canterbury, and are made up from four very talented members.

Taking to the small stage, the band did their little introduction before starting on their first song. The pure rawness of Eddy's vocals were crystal clearly beautiful, despite the fact he had a cold, this added to the husky, hard hitting, penetrating vocals in which he let out. Right away a huddle of people right at the front seemed engaged with this song as they already started singing along, finger pointing in perfect sync along with the lyrics. This all then combined with the heaviness of the guitars and drums, backing up the vocals, pushing forward the sentimental atmosphere.
The acoustic innocence which hid in his voice shattering through when Evening Coffee played as Eddy  vocalized each note of the song, highlighted by the guitar riff.

After each song was over, he would then take a short minute to thank everyone, over again for being here just watching them play, which was such a decent thing for them to do as you could tell the band was more than grateful to almost fill up the room. I for one, was more than happy that I went down because the voices I were hearing,composed with the instrumental backing defiantly made my Sunday.

As each song stopped and started, I'd wish that it would have never ended and they'd just repeat the set again  because it was that captivating, where you would just focus on them and close your eyes, letting the music absorb you, Moose Blood got me that hooked.

When it comes to emo music, Moose Blood hit the nail right on the donkey as they have seem to take the contemporary sound and combing it with a natural acoustic feel. Defiantly worth going to, Moose Blood were the highlight for me, as they proved to be miles better live than hearing them on their bandcamp, which is always a great thing to find.

Looking forward to hopefully see all three bands again sometime, as each one delivered more than expected to such a little crowd, Banquet records always seem to put on such a grand show with the best sounding music from all over the UK. It was a shame that it needed so soon, however each band demonstrated the afternoon to be worth 10/10.

Reverted - Sputter The Worm ALBUM Review

Four piece metal band from Camden Town, London, Reverted formed in 2010, adding their unique metal style to the public.
Having a heavy influence form existing bands, such as Tool, Metallica, Monster Magnet, Dry Riser, Mozart and also Beetoven, they certainly do bring a sense of diversity with them to the music world.

The four piece hard rock band are made up from Tony (Vocalist), Lui (Bassist), Daniel (Guitarist) and Ozzy (drummer) to form Reverted.

Already released two singles "Tolerance" and "Die my Saint", the band have also released a debut album called "Sputter the Worms" reaching number one on Reverbnation UK Metal Charts. This is an obvious sign that the band have progress far in such a short amount of time, also promising a very positive future.

The album starts of with their opening song "Don't try to steal me form the inside" which introduces you, straight away to a full pelted, hard hitting metal sound of the drum peddles infused with the sharp strums of the electric guitar, before coming to a halt then starting up again, this start and stop intro then carries on, into a full length of strums, intertwining with the metallic sounding of a simple bass riff before all comes together, with the piercing voice of Tony, backed up but the metalcore rhythm. The first song already paints a picture of what is to follow, as instrumentally, the sounding shows the typical conventions in which a metal, hard rock band would sound like, but then also added it up with the vocals, this band has adapted the stereotypes and added their own twist to it, making the music their own.

Keeping in touch with their metal roots, the title album "Sputter the Worms" plays next, following its metal intro, the song conforms to the original metal sounding, focusing its power to the chorus where a familiarity of Bullet seems to be in present in sounding before returning to a Metallica sounding tune.
The ending of the whole album takes in everything which has previously been produced, hitting its hardcore beats at the start and turning it into a grand finale as we are introduced to a more complex structure of music composed together, with the heavy sounding of vocals layered on top.

The band have kept in touch with the true roots of metal, yet making it appealing for a modern audiences, as I can say that Reverted are making their mark in the music scene by the soundings of their recent album and two singles, if you like what you're hearing then watch out for more, new, fresh music coming your way from the band very soon!

Rating  

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Defeater EUROPE AND UK TOUR 2014 + Support announced

Hardcore, punk band from Boston, Defeater previously announced that they would be joining Europe and the UK for a headline tour! Waiting a few years for this band to come over to the UK and actually do a headline tour, the time has finally come as joining us in January, along with some special guest.

Just announced today, Landscapes, More than life, Caspian and Goodtime boys are said to be the support for this amazing tour!
You can catch these guys on tour in many dates in the UK, they are as followed on the poster, tickets are also available here:
ents24
Livenation

I can almost promise that this show is not one to miss, as it is packed with great bands who produces a hardcore edge, matching Defeater's punkiness twist, the line up is not one to miss so get your tickets before they're all gone.

A Day To Remember - Common Courtesy ALBUM review 2013

      

Released	October 8, 2013
Recorded	May 14, 2012 – March 18, 2013, Jeremy McKinnon's home studio, Ocala, Florida
Genre	Metalcore,[1] pop punk[2][3]
Length	53:11
Label	Self-released
Producer	Jeremy McKinnon, Andrew Wade,Chad Gilber Rating

The five piece American pop punk/ alternative hardcore band from Ocala called A Day To Remember have kept true to their word and released a brand new album to mark the firth from their studio albums. Waiting a good three years for them to do so, many ADTR fans have been patient with this, but when release dates were heard they couldn't have panicked enough, trying to pre-order the album, listen to it on the live steam (ADTR'S website) or just get a copy somehow.
Judging from previous albums, the band had a lot to uphold with the huge success from "What Separates Me from You" and "Homesick " the band have to now explore new themes as well as revisit old ones, for their fans to have a whole new experiences on this brand new album. Working on it for a while now, ADTR fans have been lucky enough to hear two odd songs from the album, which got released a couple of months before, also plaid for the first time live at gigs. "Violence" was one of songs which already created a huge popularity among existing and new fans, this was also played for the first time Live at a special gig in Camden at the KoKo, which I had attended to. Hearing the song live as well as on record, I knew that this album had a lot more from where that came from, making me even more exited for its release.

Common Courtesy steps aside from the bands usual self and mixes it up a bit, as we have a hybrid of mixed genres already happening in each song. But for ADTR, they have taken into account of good consideration of what the fans want and added two, beautifully composed acoustic songs "I'm already gone" and "I Surrender". This then juxtaposes with their harder hitting songs, causing a clash with the new post-hardcore vibe they are sending with "Violence (Enough Is Enough)"  and "Dead and Buried." As well as having these two opposing genres, the pure pop punk and vibrant rock sound of ADTR is still presented throughout the album, giving it such a fresh and diverse sounding as whole, the way in which it is structured links altogether, making it one of their strongest by far. This is also the reason I am in love with it so much and honestly can not get enough of it, as it is more than just a one genre band, but something which is suited for almost every  mood.

Now what do you guys actually think of the songs involved?

Starting the album off with a song close to home called "
Cityof Ocala"already takes you to their hometown and what they are about, with its fast paced drum beats, keeping the bouncing beat in your heart alive, creating a resistance to feel yourself jump up and down. The song is basically about where the band came from and previous memories in which they have shared there, recalling from the past to the present, presenting their journye as a band and how far they have progressed, without forgetting where they came from. The upbeat, punkness to the song reminds us of their older work from previous albums, perfectly accompanying the heavy guitar riffs, with the right softness, yet the edge of Jeremy's voice to tone the song in perfect shape. The breakdown then recalls a nostalgic feel, with the echoing sounds of "I'm right back it again" before ending in a worn out, extended guitar note.

Ironically this is then followed up with "Right Back at It Again" , which almost confuses us as the starting of the song emerges with he previous one, carrying on the note but picking up with the heaver beats, introducing the new hardcore genre into the song. The original 4/4 drum beat again reminds us of their roots along side the harmonic voice of Jeremy who produces softer, punk vocals, screaming at us in a less harsh tone. Beautifully combined together, the fast pace of the drums, floats perfectly along with the simple bass line and energetic guitar solo, creating a happy and home feeling atmosphere whilst listening to it. Taking us swiftly into a marked difference of the next song bringing in a heavier metalcore sound, we hear Jeremy scream in his violent voice for the verses of this song, whilst this then interchanges with softer vocals for the pr-chorus and chorus. Still keeping the bouncing, moshing vibe, the song takes on a more harder sound, as this emerges their oldest work, combined it with their modern music for all to enjoy. Catchy lyrics and beats are easy to pick up in this song as it is filled with many repetitive lines that get stuck in your head, and you find yourself repeating them all day long. The breakdown however in this song changes things a little, taking it slower, in a more declarative tone, shouting out their thoughts and personal feelings, firing pure passion out to the listener, instantly connecting with the mood.

Following this metalcore theme, "Dead and Buried" tackles this perfectly, by going right in for the weighted hardcore intro tempo of twos repeating over and over until this then returns to the 4/4 beat of the chorus, mixing its genre slightly with McKinnon's clean vocals ending in a scream, switching back to this heavy beat curving the songs journey with mixed emotions and aggression, again using the bridge for a hardcore breakdown making room for a moshpit to explode before it reaches it ultimate peak of the song ending in the same way it started.
Keeping this uplifting pressure, the band take on the basic pop punk themes, also lyrically taking a more slower but still energetic, anger response whilst it hits the chorus at full power. Tackling similar problems in which the pop punk genre sing about, ADTR have slightly adapted this to their song, making it their own and typical of them, producing fans to agree heavily with what they have done.
Again using repetitive lyrics, sticking in your head, you will find yourself shouting them back out your mouth right at the computer screen as you sing along unconsciously.

Completely changing the troposphere of the previous five songs, we are now presented with an acoustic. "I'm already gone" proves to be my favorite song off the album easily as it is the most emotional and heart warming. Starting off with the soft strums of the acoustic guitar, sending you into a dream trances of your past, the song really takes you back to your own personal, sad memories. Jeremy's voice hits the song 20 seconds in, making your ears twinkle with his beautiful harmonic tone, sending them therapy as it revives your mind. The chorus is the part which really gets you, first time listening to it, it got me almost shredding a tear, as lyrically it has a lot of meaning and negative connotations, making you question your own personal experiences, bring up bad or pleasant memories along. I can relate to a lot of what is being sung in this song, as it describes a current, easy, relatable mindset in which all teenagers who listen to the band will understand. The pure soft vocals, harmonies perfectly at peak points in the song, highlighting the stresses of these words, yet beautifully following along the basic acoustic beat of the guitars. Conducting such a beautiful, yet heartbreaking song is hard to do, and easy to get wrong, but ADTR have had no struggles in doing this as they have produced something far beyond normal talent. The stern structure of the bridge, pushes you in finding your willpower and remembrance of why things have changed and for the best, keeping you back on your feet, reminding you that everything's alright. Towards the end of the song you will find yourself more at ease, in a cheerful, happier mood, ending on a good note. Allowing you to travel on a short journey of memory lane in just one song, bringing up certain emotions and dreadful memories but then picking you back up and putting you in your current mind set is monumental. The composure and thought gone into this song, is honestly so deep that it brings a whole new journey to the album.

Smacking you out of this mood completely comes with "Violence (Enough Is Enough)" , as the next song shows the progress in ADTR's new metalcore, hardcore stage, proving to be the heaviest song in the whole album. Gradually getting you ready for this whole new level, it hits you right in the face, attacking you directly with its long intro but also hardcore vocals from Jeremy screaming "VIOLENCE, GIVE ME VIOLENCE".
Inside you will find yourself exploding in a full arm-swinging, mosh-pit mood, moving the fuck around the existing space you have causing havoc. The song definitely will get the crowd going at a full rampage, connecting with the anger management music, causing violence. All the way through the song right till the bridge the song upholds its metalcore theme, proving true to its original state at the middle song in the album, this is where all the tension is stressed.
Linked with the two stepping beat "Life @ 11" flows with this with a twist in guitar rhythm and vocals. We are now returned to the pop-punkness of the bands tune, yet still upholding the urge to move around and scream the lyrics right back, the song gives us a soft break from what the album so far has produced yet still allowing time for us to get right into the song. The clean, instrumental bridge makes room for all of this to happen, before Jeremy reminds us of its intentions to get us clapping along its catchy beat, ending in a neutral state.

Before ending off with a total head banging breakdown, the band takes us back to a brief acoustic of "I Surrender." However this one proves to me more focused on keeping the high spirits alive rather than deep emotional meaning. More quirky mixes of the acoustic guitar are intertwined with another electric feel, bringing the high pitched vocals and drums back into the song, changing its settings slightly. The song may start of to be sweat, but it carry's through, picking up new elements while still keeping the sweet vibe alive, ADTR put a twist on this, making i more upbeat and lively for their fans to bounce to. Gradually building up tension along the bridge right into the main chorus-ending of the song.
Which takes us into the next song, setting us up for a heavy pace already with the tension in the drums and static guitar noise, before Jeremy comes in with a full front of heavy vocals, producing another heavy hardcore song to tilt the album. The song it's self is short in length with just enough volume go get us into relaxed state for "End of me" which builds up its tension once again. Starting off with the soft strums of the acoustic guitar, playing its sweet, repetitive melody over and over again the song tricks us into what it is about. The soft slow, vocals of Jeremy are submerged into the song, with the build up of layers, taking us into a much heavier, but kept to the same pace of the original opening, rather than giving it a completely change.
Taking you in a dream like trance, the song gives you an opportunity to put your hands up and sway from side to side, along with it's beat, reflecting your thoughts to the song and focus on Jeremy. Here is another song where you feel yourself reflecting on yourself and the past, it makes you think a little, as "I'm already gone" had, this song does it in a similar way, taking your dopamine levels down a touch, focusing on negative memories really connecting with the lyrics of the song.

Feet stomping tempos mixed with the heading bopping movement, ties in perfectly with the next song, as it revives all your energy back and you find yourself moving along to its melody. When it comes to the breakdown, we find our self back to the familiarity of what was previously voiced in its metalcore sounding, bringing a truly amazing breakdown back into the album before it's all finished. ADTR composed the structure of this album and song carefully as it all comes into effects with each other, balancing one another out, keeping the audience entertained but also taking them on a journey which is presented in the last song "I remember." Now this song does what the first one did, it almost  takes us back in a cyclic pattern as the meaning is hinted in its name. Again the band have finished their journey, and started to reflect on their success over the years and turned it into a song. The pure, happy and tranquil vibe of this song allows the listener to feel at ease and finally like they have accomplished many things in their life, reflecting on all the positive, nostalgic moments which have made them who they are today. It continuously talks about past memories, which is a key theme throughout this album, recalling how we once felt, putting us now in that same feeling.
The bridge in this song, takes a slightly different route as to repeating the chorus of the song in a slower, highlighted pace, bringing it back to the full energetic, path as a way of ending the whole album and song in full thought pleasure. As you finish the album you will find yourself sat there thinking, "Where I've been" and then also thinking, I either need to do more with my life, or I'm happy with what I've done so far as I've accomplished something. Another nice ending to it is the little commentary which sits at the end as it soon fades into voices of the band, talking about certain memories they have had together. Covering how their band life started, how they tour around beautiful cities, stuck on the motor way, troubles, funny stories, reminiscing memories in which has taken them to be ADTR and what they have been through. I think it's final little touches like this which actually separates a normal studio album to what is something even more, as I feel this album has done that completely in the most mind blowing way. I can honestly say that I love it that much, I would give it a 1000000/10 on every single element possible.

Thank you A Day To Remember for giving us something which was worth the wait, and can't wait to see you guys perform this on the tour in February.

Your Demise FAREWELL TOUR 2014

Your demise have been a band now for four years and to mark the end of the firth year, they have decided to go down with a massive farewell tour in a few places around the UK. Announcing their break up earlier this year, the post-hardcore band from St Albans officially are parting ways right after they do a special tour around the world for last minute fans to catch them in the action before it's all over. (Break up video)
Being a big fan of the band and loving their music for a number of years, the news hit me harder than I expected as recently around that time a number of other bands had announced their departure to the music world and taken a break or officially split up like, Madina Lake and Bowling for soup. It's always sad when a band breaks up, especially when they have played such a curtail and important part in your life, helping you cope through difficult situations or brightening your mood on a rainy day, bands are always there to change that.

One thing was for sure though, they would leave us all with a tour to remember them by. Previously I have seen Your Demise play three times in the past two years and they have all been brilliant in performance wise and also vocals. Edd is a stage warrior, bouncing around in his little shorts, stage diving every so often into the crowd, making sure that everyone was having the time of their life.

Your Demise are playing not one but, TWO dates in London at the underworld Camden which is a tiny venue, guaranteeing that chaos will occur, cramming 300 hundred your demise fans under one small worn out roof. I was fortunate enough to get tickets for both dates of this tour, excited as for each date a different support act would be performing.

TODAY was the day in which they all got announced, after waiting months and months, the cat was right out of the bag and London had an even bigger surprise.

Seeings as YD had two days of supports to filled, I figured they wouldn't be as strong as the other dates, however I was competly wrong.
For the Friday we have:

Marmozets

Palm Reader 

Heights

CROOKS

These four bands are relatively in the same hardcore/ post-hardcore genre to Your Demise, making them the perfect bands to support. 

First up w toe have Crooks who have just appeared on the YOUNG BLOG radar as they are a fresh, new hardcore band from the UK who are currently touring with Malory Knox and other bands, making there way to the top. They are the sort of band who will have you griped on just one song as that's all it took for me to get into their music style, siding me to their music straight away. Next up we have Marmozets which are slightly different and have a cleaner, softer intake on the genre as I would class them more alternative than hardcore as such, nevertheless they seem like a good band to open up for Demise.

Then we have Palm Reader who I have actually seen live before in June, at the Peel in Kingston proving to live up to their genre of being full of action and live.

Lastly Heights, who also formed at a similar time to Your Demise, will bring the final touch just before the headliners take to the stage. Also previously seeing them live before, I know what to expect and can imagine that they will be bringing quite a storm to the underworld for this date.

Then for the last date (SATURDAY) we have:

Broken Teeth

TRC

LANDSCAPES

Brutality Will Prevail 

Now in my opinion this line up sucks balls on all the rest as we have some of the finest hardcore bands from the UK playing for a special gig. The Saturday is like no other ordinary gig as it is the last one your demise will actually play EVER in the UK so, obviously they'd have to make it a good one. The two bands I am mostly looking forward to see are TRC and BWP, as already seeing Landscapes and thinking they were average on sounding and performance, I had yet to see if the rumors of the other two were as real as everyone was making them out to be. Just four months away until this mindblowing tour kicks off, and I will be back to update you on how it went. But what do you think about this news and do you like the supports or not? 

I want your feedback, so just drop a comment or email me at: isha-s@hotmail.co.uk

Basement - I Wish I Could Stay Here Album review

Basement - I Wish I Could Stay Here
Release date: July 5th, 2011
Record label: Run For Cover Records
Rating: 

Basements first studio album released in late 2011 called (I Wish I Could Stay Here )

Sad to say that the band basement have split up before I actually got into them. The band officially announced their split with a last show in November 2012, I however had only really heard of them shortly after.
A local band from Ipswich, England, they are formed by five members in the early year of 2009, who class their music as progressive rock, emo, grunge, post-hardcore, punk rock which is a hybrid of genres all merged together to form them.

I wish I would stay here is a 10 tracked album, which express what their EP's show but in a more extended, full version. A lot of people would say that the original sounding of Basement in fact is just a copycat of the 90's emo music, however I feel the main reason why they got me so hooked and griped on them was more to the fact that they were such a hybrid band of modern and old music, combined together to make what seems to be a fresh and direct energetic band in which a modern audience could easily listen to and not get bored of.

Now the first song to open up this album is "Fading" which really sets them up for high standards, straight away we are pushed forward in the heavy drum diving manic in which the riffs are played over a thick bass line before we get a mixture of harmony's from Andrew Fisher (vocalist). This energetic, lively music is pumped throughout the song, repeating the catchy tempo proving their hard rock sound to us as a mixture of sounds.
Already we are allowing yourself to understand their lyrical abilities and what they are singing about. This is not that inspiring at all nor will the lyrics make you think and question life, but they are a band who are relate able. Basement sing about the dark, emotional topics in which the youth of their audiences are already or have experienced, it is this reason in why they are so successful with their target demographic, because they understand them. If you cut open a teenagers brain and take a look inside, what basement are signing about, you will probably find in their, as they talk about vulnerability and how messed up we all really are.

"Canada Square" takes on a more deep and delayed path to what was previously witnessed, another song like this is "Early Grey" which gives you the soft emo, calmness, numbing you in a trance with it, despite all of this the vocals throughout still remain passionate with the punk sounding explosions. The importance of instrumental music goes along with Basements themes, as the slow pace, drags you down a bit into a new mindset, where you find yourself hooked on the tiny chords of the guitar which are presented mainly in "Ellipses".This soft song eases us into the album as it's pretty easy to pick up on and also rather catchy in beat as a lot of it is repetitive.

"Planned to be surprised" which picks up a much heavy punk feel to it with the double beat from the drums but also matches with the faster more stretched voice bursting with passion  of Andrew Fisher. The upbeat yet soul sounding of the band is present as basement give off a sad depressive feel but their music almost tricks us as we are feeling energetic yet relational to it, bouncing to each drum beat as the four chord guitar riff is repeated. The simpleness of this song again shows the bands uniqueness to take the same music yet turn it into something different each time, making the whole feel and atmosphere compelled together. 

Again taking us back to a much delayed sound with the drained down drum beat along the heavy bass line which plays an important part to this punk, grunge song as the guitars are now turned to a less energetic feel matching the vocals which appear drowned out in a saddened numb voice, before all closes to a pause and the fast tempo of punk is back and everything changes as the emotions of the lead singers are now emerged with the instruments making his anger thudding to the song.
Returning with the next song which plays a slow guitar rift that seems to be repeating it's self over and over again, before the basic beat of the drum comes into playing matching this slow and swaying intro, almost sending you into a trance. But before this lets you completely zone out the ending of Ellipis picks up with the hectic cluster of drum beats with the key change waking you fully up.

As this draws to an end we find the typical punk beat in which you find yourself two stepping along to and finger pointing as the vocals reach out to you, "please save me from myself" a desperate cry out to help before again drawing to a close with the cluster of sounds coming to a halt. 

Another common pattern basement have within this album is using full start and repairs, as this  happen throughout the song, feeling it starts again and again. 

The last song to this album is "March" which kicks in with its heavy intro, intertwined with the rich vocals that moan out along with the tempo structure. Ending the album with he lyrics "No more waiting for you" drawing it to a perfect end. Basement are the sort of band who need to carry on with music like this for their fans as well as the topics in which they explore as I have found them to be very useful in certain moods.
Definitely a band who shouldn't have broken up, but at least they made their mark out their with the two albums they did produce.

Track listing:
1. Fading
2. Plan To Be Surprised
3. Canada Square
4. Crickets Throw Their Voices
5. Earl Grey
6. Ellipses
7. Every Single Word
8. Yoke
9. Grayscale
10. March

Last Witness LAST SHOW @ Camden Underworld 19/10/13

The five piece metalcore band from London, Last Witness announced their breakup a while back, but before they wen't down in flames, they had to light the fire somehow, and what better way of doing that then a final goodbye show at Camden's finest
hardcore venue, The Underworld. Starting out in 2006, the band have been going for some time and just feel that it's the end for them as achieving much more than they set out to do, the band can now say that they have accomplished their goals.

Living in the same hometown as they band, they really couldn't say goodbye without doing a last show in their very home, so when they announced they would in mid October, many fans from outside of London awaited to get tickets as they soon sold out within a few days.
The support for this last every show was equally as spectacular than before, More Than Life and Breaking Point. Two well known bands amonst the audience, the show seemed promising to be grand after all.

The show started at the earlier time of 6pm, awaiting for the venue to fill with crowds of people, as the first band, Rough Hands took to the stage at 6:30. For the first supporting bands, there wasn't a large crowd, however with Witness they seemed to be pulling all the right people. As the usual pit which is formed at the back or middle, now took place in a semi-circular format right at the front, clearing its path for all the HxC dancers to go mental in.  Moving on to Prowler, who drew in a few more people, with their heavy hardcore based vocals and repetitive beating of the drums, two guys got really into the music, swinging their arms everywhere, creating a two man pit right at the front, whilst the vast majority of the room stood in a soft movement towards them, appreciating their music. The next band to come on were Breaking Point, who had caused up a storm outside the venue and also inside. As they took  to the stage at 7:45, (an early start) they got the whole crowd moving this time. Never before have I seen anything quite like it at a gig before. Masses of people crowded the balcony's and the back floor of the venue, while the front was open wide for anyone to mosh in. The way that the crowd immediately got involved as soon as the band started playing with such enthusiasm and passion painted all over their faces, really did show the build up of this tension would follow when Witness come to play.

Taking us directly into the pure hardcore music, breaking point proved to be popular with the crowd, as the bit got bigger and more and more people joined, expressing their love for the music through a unique way of dancing. At this point, people were flying all over the place, going absolutely mental, and you got the usual three men who started the pit, keeping a good eye on everyone else, making sure it was relatively safe. Another thing I like about these gigs are that there is a sense of community when you're on the floor moshing to a band, because everyone around you has that same love for the music you also love. In a way you are sharing that one interest with them through music, as when one person falls over, you simple stop what you're doing and help them up. It's something I've seen a lot and something which also makes me feel somewhat safe in a 'dangerous' environment.

Following up this hectic performance was the last supporting band before Witness, More Than Life who took to the stage at 8:30, giving just enough time for everyone to catch their breath before another bit of action. Even more fans had now moved from the stairs down to the pit on the floor, making it even bigger, squashing everyone tightly together in union to their music. Again pulling the hardcore, fast pace music right into everyone's ear drums, they are jumped around in a similar pattern as before, but this time with far more energy and passion, passing the mic out to the crowd as everyone jumped to it, screaming back the next set of lyrics. The atmosphere was truly marvelous, as everyone was focused on the music playing, having a good time than anything else, the crowd was overpopulated with males to the odd female, once again showing the dedication of fans who had traveled from far distances to be at their last show tonight.

Time passed on as 9:30 came around and, Last Witness were all set up and ready to play for the last time ever as a band in Camden. The build up was emotional as the large gap at the front soon began to fill, until the whole floor which once had gaps in, was now filled to the brim with people all closely, standing together, ready for Last Witness to perform their final set ever.
The whole scene changed, as hundreds of heads were now covering the floor, all upfront and close to the stage, ready for intro to start playing before they could all lose their shit.
All the finger points came out, along with one guy at the back trying to start a one man circle pit on his own, going insanely mental, running from one end to the other, bashing everyone in his way. Last Witness, arrived on stage and got right into the music, the heavy, fast tempo of their music set up the scene while Theo, (vocalist) stepped in with his hard filled metalcore vocals.

By now everyone was trying to salvage their way to the front of the stage, diving, crowd surfing their way right up, as the front of the floor, now was covered in people on top of other people, trying to get on stage or grab the mic of Theo, going mental. It was such a great atmosphere as you could tell, from the back everyone was moshing along to the beat, starting their own pits amongst each other in all areas. "Saccharine" came into play, with its doubled heavy riffs along with its catchy static guitar chorus, matching the stretched out screams coming from Theo, proved to be the song to get everyone up and moving, as it was only the third one in, everyone was already covered in sweat and looked worn out, thus proving evidence of a good night.

Even the other bands who had played and were watching from the balcony seemed to be getting right into the music, as they finger pointed and head banged along with the music, shouting the lyrics right back at the band in a mirrored pattern throughout the night. The night was nearly at an end as Witness got into the last part half of their 12 set-listed song, already on "Snakes and Ladders" the band had pulled off one hell of a night. Still the crowd remained in high spirits, moshing away, trying to dive off the stage, into the crowd then back again in a cyclic structure, never ending. I would say that seeing the crowd from above, it defiantly was a great one, one of the best I had ever seen, and especially for their last show, they pulled in a great one to go down with. Theo then took a few breaks to thank all the other bands who had played, and talked a bit about their last ever show, wanting the crowd to lose what was left of them for the final time, a great response came from us as the cheering and aggression shown in each ones face, proven to answer his question.

From there the night took a more hardcore level for a gig as at one point everyone got on the stage, filling it with sweaty, screaming fans all in support of Witness's last show, having their final chance to grab the mic and sing right into it, exploding all their emotions on stage sharing this immense experiences with everyone else. Theo was passing the mic all around the floor for many different voices to sing into it, screaming their part when it got to them, whilst pushing forth crowd surfers over their heads, multitasking was in need here.
"Less than Zero" began to play, as Theo ran about the stage, diving into the crowd at times, getting absorbed by thousands of hands, yet still bouncing back finishing the last few songs, the night was nearly over but that didn't affect their performance as it was still live as ever, Sending their drips of sweat all over each other, covered in Witness's last outbreak. This song proved to one of my favorites and also one which caused a big storm with the crowd.

It was so hard to tell what was going on exactly, as crowd surfers were surfing on other crowd surfers, blurring the crowd to be one big mosh pile of people floating in the air, moving around at a rapid speed, over and over again, along with the people at the back pushing right forth creating full tension.
Second to last song and Theo had grabbed the mic back again to thank everyone for coming down, and how great the night had been so far, and how no one wished it would end, but it had to but they weren't done just yet. Witness had one last song to play for this manic crowd to finally go wild to.

 
Everyone's hands shot right in the air, pointing towards the band, whilst divers tried to topple over them in their last and final attempt before being pushed right back to the front and repeating the process all over again. The night was at its all time highest, as the crow was begging for more and more, enjoying the final song they would ever perform as a band. The look on everyone face showed that they had lived the fuck out of their bodies that night and were sad it was coming to an end, however they were more than relieved that it ended so well, true hardcore style. Right before the final breakdown, about 10 people got on stage and all dived off at the same time, causing total chaios before the dimming of the lights faded along with the band. No encore, no more songs, this is the end.

I was so privileged enough to be one of the last people viewing Last Witness's last ever show, and fuck glad I was there. Truly one of the best gigs and nights I had ever been to, not just because it was their last, but also because of their dedicated fans, with such passion and emotion they took into the venue and poured it all out into their last set. Sad it's all over, but it has to come to an end one day, and Witness certainly went out with a night to remember.
Overall I would give this gig a rating of 10/10 on just everything. Despite taking a back seat at the gig I still managed to enjoy myself, as the crowds reaction reflected back on me.