Words: Chris Taylor. Photos: Bella Briscoe.
It’s a tough weekend to try to put on a punk rock/emo show. Between the once-in-a-lifetime My Chemical Romance and Bring Me the Horizon concerts in London and Manchester, and 2000 Trees festival in Cheltenham – which always has solid representation from the Southampton local music collective – there’s a serious dent in the target audience who I’d normally expect to see at this kind of show. It’s a shame, because this lineup is a great representation of what Southampton independent gigs are all about: an up-and-coming local band, an established UK touring band (also from Southampton), and an excellent US headliner who deserve to be much bigger in the UK than they currently are. That said, there’s still a great atmosphere despite it being fairly quiet, and all the bands give it their all, with the crowd responding in kind.
Hollow Afterthought are very much a throwback to the mid-’00s alternative scene, effortlessly fusing elements of classics like MCR, Paramore, early Fall Out Boy, and so on to create something that’s nostalgic but still very much their own. The mix of strong female vocals, extremely slick drums, and melodic punk and emo riffs deliver everything you could possibly want for a kick of Slamdunk/Warped Tour nostalgia.
For a fairly new, young band, their performance is extremely strong and professional – it wasn’t until about half way through their set that I noticed they seemed to be missing their guitarist and it was on a backing track, which I think is a real testament to the band’s stage presence, sound production, and tightness. Definitely one to watch.
You can tell Royals have been entertaining both big and small crowds for a while now. They immediately take the stage with a charisma that gets people wanting to dance along to their new-wave pop punk sound, despite the venue not being very busy. There’s a natural banter from the frontman and guitarist/backing vocalist throughout that draws in the crowd, and then suddenly the bassist (who’s generally been pretty quiet up to this point) is handing his guitar to the frontman and jumping off stage with a microphone to deliver a blinding A Day to Remember style screamed breakdown section before heading back to his place on the stage.
It feels carefully crafted to let their personality shine through their performance and make the show into something people will remember. Their setlist, too, feels carefully considered in a way that delivers their eclectic sound in a fun, unexpected way, shifting naturally between modern pop punk, easycore, and whatever we’re calling the more pop/funk/country influenced alternative bands like The Home Team and Bilmuri. It’s the perfect example of how to deliver a great warm-up set at the same time as winning new fans.
I’m not sure how I’ve never come across Don’t Panic before. This is music that’s totally me: a bit of early emo with that Americana feel, a bit of skate punk, melodic rock sensibilities, and all overlaid with (generally) positive or nostalgic lyrics and uplifting songwriting. Backing vocal harmonies call back to classics like Jimmy Eat World, and the Bayside tone of voice always gives me goosebumps (the lead singer wears that influence proudly on his T-shirt).
Their live show fully lives up to the promise of all those influences, too, from comfortable and unpretentious engagement with the crowd to their skate punk energy. They’re playing their new record For Your Consideration in full on this mini-tour, and even though I’d already had it on rotation in the lead up to the show, and had just watched a live playthrough, I left wanting to listen to it through again. It’s the perfect soundtrack for a summer heatwave. Next time you’re looking for something to listen to, give it a whirl, and make sure to watch out for Don’t Panic coming back to the UK next year.
- In Common is not for profit. We rely on donations from readers to keep the site running. Could you help to support us for as little as 25p a week? Please help us to carry on offering independent grass roots media. Visit: https://www.patreon.com/incommonsoton
