The Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
I have no idea how you can fit five bands into the space of a few hours, but somehow it was managed tonight at Rescue Rooms to display the explosive talent of the Get Real tour. Curated by ever-popular headliners, The Word Alive bring an exciting line-up to the UK and warm up a cold and dreary Monday night in Nottingham.
Buoyant openers Skies In Motion bask in the moment of kicking things off, as their confident entrance immediately prompts that this lot aren’t your average local openers. The Derby dwellers offer a set laden with outlandish riffs and demanding vocals from front man Adam Connor, as the band provide a solid welcome to the gradually filling venue. They may have a few screws loose in the finesse of their delivery, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before this lot unleash their full potential and dominate their live shows. Keep an eye out, as Skies In Motion are set to defy all expectations of melodic hardcore as we know it.
Skies In Motion
Next up are a band that I’ve been curious to see for a while now, and after recently becoming the first UK signings to Fearless Records, it’s obvious that Oceans Ate Alaska have a bright future ahead of them. Despite their performance being plagued by technical difficulties, including an occasional lack of balance to the mix and microphone connection problems, the band offer an incredibly tight and heavily potent display. The piercing screams and hellishly low growls of front man James Harrison reminding me of early day Oli Sykes (intended as a compliment, just to clarify). Ferocious sub-drop induced break downs flood the room and it’s obvious that their technical brand of melodic brutality has turned a few heads in the room, despite the inaudible cleans of their front man struggling to cut through the mix. Luckily, final offering “Clocks” demonstrates the true ability of this exciting outfit, as the clean vocals can finally be heard to reveal the unmistakable soaring quality of both their instrumental prowess and vocal ability. Keep your eyes peeled, this band mean business!
Oceans Ate Alaska
Offering their own brand of furious anthems, Like Moths To Flames turn down the level of intricacy instrumentally and crank up the intensity, as their captivatingly aggressive presence boasts both a crushing onslaught of riff- inspired tenacity along with solid clean vocals to inject welcome melody to their arsenal. As the sweat pours from every orifice, their energy on-stage provides evidence that they’re here to show the UK what they’re capable of. Although their performance is anything but technically perfect, closing anthem “You Won’t Be Missed” is greeted by an enormous crowd response and the band orchestrate the first example of true chaos amongst the venue. It’s an impressive display from a band who will leave tonight knowing they have left their mark, but let’s hope they deliver more material like their emphatic finale in the future.
Like Moths To Flames
Following this, The Color Morale (AKA The Colour Morale over here) stole the show for me tonight. Emerging to a heavy proportion of the crowd considering this band as the highlight of the night, my first encounter with them won’t be my last. Demonstrating the vigorous dynamics of a worthy headliner, this outfits thunderous delivery is fuelled by their relentless passion in their performance, providing anthemic melodies and crushing riffs to coincide with Garret Rapp’s enthralling presence. Their genuine delight to be performing in our country assists the crowds desire to be involved, as recent single “Prey For Me” receives an impassioned sing-along, even from the crowd members witnessing them for the first time (such as myself). It’s a delivery laced with the quality and grit of a headliner, so I’d expect to see this band topping bills like this in the near future.
The Color Morale
After a night loaded with adrenaline and compelling displays, The Word Alive show that execution and polish isn’t quite enough when you perform as if the hard work has already been done for you. This band may be tight down to the bone, but ultimately their lack of conviction on only the second date of the Get Real tour provides an unexpectedly dull climax to an exciting evening. Instead of excelling in a particular dimension like the previous bands tonight, their fusion of Pop-driven choruses with heavier elements unfortunately offers a run-of-the-mill outcome, plagued by their uninspiringly conventional stage presence. Their performance excites the expectant doe-eyed fans at the front, but as the capacity begins to thin out, you can’t help but feel their appeal isn’t matched for the neutrals tonight.
Although sudden emphatic closer ‘Life Cycles’ hints at their true quality, a strangely incoherent encore is greeted by an emptying room and front man Telle Smith awkwardly saying “I thought we were having a good time tonight?”, before reluctantly drawing the evening to a close in front of the remaining die hard supporters. On another day, I may have been in the mood for their glossy, Pop- inspired metalcore anthems, but it was the supports who stole the show tonight. With all due respect, it may have just been an off day for The Word Alive, but when you’re headlining a show, you’ve got to act like it’s the best opportunity you’ve been given, instead of acting as if it’s the same routine to another set of faces, one night to the next.
Links
https://www.facebook.com/thewordalive
https://www.facebook.com/thecolormorale
https://www.facebook.com/likemoths
https://www.facebook.com/oceansatealaska
https://www.facebook.com/skiesinmotion
Words by George Fullerton
Photos by Ash Green of Ideal Film
