Last November, the Never Say Die tour returned with its biggest UK date yet which saw The Amity Affliction headlining a sold out Koko in London. Naturally, as big fans of previous Never Say Die Tours, Rock Sins made sure to be in attendence this time around!
Burning Down Alaska (5) kicked things off with a set of completely generic Metalcore tunes. They weren’t offensively bad but there is nothing about them that it memorable either. Still despite their early set time they play to a decent sized crowd who seem to enjoy it meaning this wasn’t a complete failure for them.
Fit For A King (6.5) fair better. They also lack in originality but their onslaught of breakdowns is backed by a real intensity from the band. Despite only being the second band on a decent sized pit opened up and remained for their entire set. While things might have started to get repetitive towards the end the crowds interest never dipped.
Cruel Hand (7.5) provide the evenings first change of pace providing some great skate punk and hardcore tunes. Unfortunately they also end up being the first band the majority of the crowd just don’t seem to care for. Perhaps it’s because they didn’t play enough breakdowns but whatever the reason is the energy from the crowd definitely dipped during Cruel Hand’s set. It’s a real shame as Cruel Hand are easily the most interesting band of the night so far.
Being As An Ocean (5) end up being an incredibly frustrating band to watch as their performance is good but the songs all blur together. This has always been a problem with Being As An Ocean and tonight is no different. Vocalist Joel Quartuccio might put everything into his performance but the songs get boring very quickly. Still, the majority of the now packed Koko seemed to enjoy the entire set.
Defeater (8.5) easily play the best set of the night but it also ends up being one that a lot of the crowd just don’t seem to get. Their melodic hardcore songs about life during the Second World War just seem a bit too out there for a lot of the people watching. This didn’t make the songs any less boring and the bands stage presence was fantastic. Still it is clear this set wasn’t as great as it could have been because of the slightly flat atmosphere in the crowd.
Finally The Amity Affliction (8) did a very impressive job of closing out the evening. Drawing heavily from Let The Ocean Take Me was a very good idea as every word is screamed back at the band. The older songs are still enjoyed but it’s definitely their more recent material that is the highlight. Joel Birch does a very good job leading proceedings tonight whisky bassist Ahren Stringer’s clean vocals completely fill the room. The main issues with The Amity Affliction’s set tonight is that it did feel a bit too short and that perhaps sometimes their songs seem a bit too nice, they could use a bit more aggression. Still the encore of Pittsburgh and Don’t Lean On Me ends things with every fan screaming at the top of their lungs. It’s clear why The Amity Affliction are rising up the Metalcore ranks and if they continue to improve it might not be long before they reach the top of the genre.
