Page 55 - Black Velvet Issue 93

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SET IT OFF / WITH CONFIDENCE / TOO CLOSE TO TOUCH / HOMEBOUND - LONDON ISLINGTON ACADEMY
31.05.17
It’s not just a pop punk party in London but shade heavier live than it is on CD but interest- when it comes time for Set It Off to do their thing
one with an international flavor, bringing to- ingly, Keaton Pierce’s vocals aren’t, and being the already unhinged crowd find even more en-
gether four bands from across the globe to the closer to what their recorded music would make ergy and this hits the Florida pop rockers hard,
capital as co-headliners Set It Off and With Con- you expect it to be means there are times when frontman Cody Carson seemingly holding back
fidence bring some friends to ensure the near- things don’t perhaps gel quite as well as they tears when he speaks of how impressed he is
capacity crowd spend more than just the might do. If they can address that balance going for the fans’ love for the band a few songs after
evening in their company bouncing off the walls. forward they too offer much promise for the fu- they explode through the curtain with ‘Why
After this feast, they will likely be bouncing for ture. Unlike the opening act, Too Close To Touch Worry’.
some time to come. do bring more flair to the show and Keaton’s Unlike the bands who performed before, Set
The evening commences with the line-up’s step of leaving the stage to sing inches from the It Off’s songs come with a little more pop in-
local talent and Farnham-based Homebound, fans at the barrier is a popular move and pro- jected to them than rock and this offers a nice
who have the duty of kicking off proceedings duces the first wave of euphoria that is seen on twist to the evening and showcases the variety
and they do so in style. Spearheaded by impres- the night. this genre of music offers. And there is ab-
sive frontman Charlie Boughton, they use their Pretty much from the second Australian solutely no need to worry and with a back cata-
limited stage time to treat those who positioned quartet With Confidence hit the stage and are logue almost as big as the previous three acts
themselves at the front of the lengthy queue out- met with an outstanding roar from this hugely have combined but only an hour to showcase it
side to the full content of their debut EP, ‘The excitable crowd, it quickly becomes apparent there is no time to waste and they hit us with hit
Mould You Build Around Yourself’ and it certainly who the evening’s headline and warm up acts after hit after hit and there is no sign of the en-
is a treat for those in the venue in time to see it. are. The hour-long set is almost perfect for the ergy starting to fade from the audience who
Bringing a slightly heavier edge to their songs co-headlining band as it gives them time to play grow louder and more excitable as the set pro-
than you get on CD, a lack of showmanship is almost the entirety of their debut LP, ‘Better gresses. ‘Forever Stuck In Our Youth’ and ‘An-
substituted by some excellent musicianship, es- Weather’, and each song is lapped up by the cient History’ provide some of the early set
pecially in ‘Headspace’, and Homebound clearly masses but it leaves just a short time for a cou- highlights, while the combination of ‘Uncontain-
offer much promise for the pop punk scene in ple of songs from their previous EP, which is a able’ and ‘Life Afraid’ are an ideal end to the pro-
the UK and have quickly won over some new shame given the stellar reaction to ‘I Will Never ceedings. It’s no great surprise that the events
fans here. Wait’, which frontman and bassist Jayden See- in Manchester barely a week before are men-
The venue has filled up by the time we enjoy ley dedicates to those who ‘gave a fuck about tioned a few times during the course of the night
our first slice of American-based pop rock in the this band before Better Weather’. Based on this but that dark cloud has been well and truly left
shape of Kentucky-bred Too Close To Touch and there are plenty who did but hopefully the reac- at the door this evening and while inside, every-
the larger audience brings with it a great deal tion to this might encourage more on future one there can forget any troubles and live in the
more enthusiasm and excitement from a clearly tours. Not only is their performance on point but moment the positivity of live music and tonight,
‘up for it’ crowd and this is met with just as much they have great interaction with the audience pop rock can produce and best of all, the dark
energy from the band. With a much larger back and the banter between Jayden and guitarist cloud isn’t hanging around at the door when it’s
catalogue than Homebound but only a similar Luke Rockets brings much to laugh about and time to leave and that, after all, is surely what
amount of time on stage, their set list is a much while at times it does border on crude, not that it’s all about.
tighter-packed one and this is appreciated by it’s unexpected given the dildo attached to YYYY
those watching on. Closer ‘Sympathy’ is one of Luke’s mic stand, it always remains well-natured Michael Coventry
the highlights of the first half of the bill. Much like and harmless and adds to the band’s charm.
Homebound, Too Close To Touch’s music is a The evening doesn’t need setting off but Josh Brozzesi (With Confidence) Photo By Brandon
Lung

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