Blood Youth have shown themselves to be one of the more promising melodic hardcore bands from the UK right now. Over their two EPs they’ve delivered a great mix hardcore aggression and catchy choruses. In support of their second EP Closure, Blood Youth headed out for a few headline shows and brought Zoax along to guarantee people had a good time.
First up were COPE (6) who do a really solid job getting things going. While their vocalist does pull out a bit too much dad dancing on stage he also comes across as a genuinely passionate frontman who really believes in the bands message of Challenge Oppression Pursue Equality. Musically they deliver a set of decent post-hardcore tunes that manage to get heads nodding. They aren’t quite the finished article yet but there something very likeable about COPE and they are definitely a band worth keeping an eye on.
Next up was Zoax (9) who quite simply stole the show. The bands mix of jazz and punk works to create a brilliantly unique sound but the real standout is vocalist Adam Carroll. Easily one of the most entertaining and charismatic frontmen around right now he completely captures the attention of everyone in the room, even those unfamiliar with his band. He is constantly looking for new ways to have fun, whether it’s jumping behind the bar to help himself to a pint or following an unsuspecting fan into the toilet and performing a song from in there. Even when he’s terroising those who aren’t fans, it’s all done in a lighthearted way that you can’t help but laugh and enjoy it. The best part of all this though is it never becomes a gimmick and the songs never suffer from it. “Bad Blood” and “Devils Dance” in particular are standouts tonight but from start to finish Zoax deliver great songs. Zoax are definitely one of the most entertaining bands around right now and hopefully with sets like tonight, they’ll keep growing in popularity.
It’s a hard act for Blood Youth (8) to follow and while they don’t quite manage to top it, they still put on a great show. From start to finish Blood Youth deliver non stop bounce and aggression. “Dead Space” and “24/7” have fans down the front wrestling to get to the mic. It’s certainly a bit more accessible than a lot of hardcore thanks to some great choruses but these never feel like Blood Youth compromising their sound. It’s especially apparent during the two new songs Blood Youth play that they are looking to go down a heavier route in the future. It’s good to see the band throw in some new material considering they only have two EPs out right now and the crowd definitely respond well to these new songs. While the room isn’t completely packed the passion of the fans down the front more than makes up for this. Closing song “Failure” again has fans shoving each other away to join Kaya Tarsus on vocals before he makes his way into the crowd for the end of the song. Blood Youth continue to show just how promising they are and hopefully they will get the support they deserve. They certainly have all the right elements to succeed so once they get a debut album out that should take them onto bigger and better things.
Please also check out this exclusive photo gallery of the night’s action courtesy of our photographer Rachael Griffiths! Stay tuned for further updates about both Blood Youth and Zoax here at Rock Sins as and when we have them.
