Moose Blood/Choir Vandals/Boston Manor

It seems that Moose Blood are one of the few bands who manage to escalate to the hype they have generated since their formation. Basking in early day glory through a few basic recordings, the outfit have since proved their credibility following the release of debut album “I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time to Time”. After their recent stint as tour openers for Mallory Knox, it appears that Moose Blood are prepared to show us what they’re made of on their first headline run.

Opening affairs are exhilerating pop punk upcomers, Boston Manor, whose recent “Driftwood EP” has seen them receiving fitting praise across the board. While their recordings are impressive, their live performance is simply glorious, as the soaring vocal qualities of their front man shimmer alongside the tenacious instrumental quality they possess. Their punchy dynamic ensures they aren’t trapped by the usual generic pop punk branding we’ve grown to expect nowadays, as their sound boasts every distinctive element of early day Don Broco/The Story So Far in a compelling mesh. Admittedly, their admirable enthusiasm comes with the occasional loose screw in their delivery, but once they’ve tightened these screws, I firmly expect that they will find themselves sitting amongst the high flyers in their genre. Have I found my new favourite band? I think so.

Sometimes, bands just have to travel the distance to show the world what they’re worth. In the case of Choir Vandals, they have travelled all the way from America to showcase their exciting brand of powerfully emotion-driven anthems. As their fuzzy, pulsating riffs and stomping rhythm coincides with front man Austin McCutchen’s desperately captivating vocal display, it’s as if their performance personifies the soul being laid bare for the world to see. Their soaring melodies and ocassionally hallucinogenic instrumentals provide every reason for the unknowing crowd to remember their name. It’s likely that Choir Vandals will use this tour as a vital springboard in their campaign to conquer the UK. Judging from tonight’s display, it won’t be too long before they do.

It’s time for the main attraction, but the question is; do Moose Blood rise to the high expectations they have set for themselves? Yes. Yes they do. Tonight, they prove that the triumph of their emphatic debut is just as breathtaking in the flesh. If not, even better. Their sell out crowd revel in every morsel on offer, with the likes of “Swim Down” and “Bukowski” providing larger than life singalongs. Their set is polished, powerful and boasts every detail to suggest that Moose Blood have always been worthy of their hype.

Moose Blood are at the forefront of the indie-emo revival for a reason, as an emotional rendition of “Cherry” has their doe-eyed fans echoing every lyric with pride and purpose. Despite the remarkable success of their display, I expect that there is a lot more to come from this band. They have accomplished so much in such a short amount of time as a band, and after such an exhilerating display, they prove that the live translation of their stunning debut is every bit as captivating in their live show. Moose Blood are the real deal. Scarily, I expect there’s much more to come.

Links
https://www.facebook.com/MooseBlood
http://choirvandals.com/
https://www.facebook.com/choirvandalsband
https://www.facebook.com/bostonmanoruk

Words by George Fullerton.