First on stage tonight are Caleb Shomo's latest musical endeavour Beartooth - a hardcore metal punk band. Having worked with Austin Carlile previously in the bands Attack Attack! it's great to see the pair teaming up again on this tour. Having rocked the Barfly in
From the moment the lights go to down, the crowd's cheers erupt from the crowd. It is time for the Atlanta-based metalcore group Issues to grace the stage. Opening with the first single from their self titled album 'Stingray Affliction', the band are keen to control the crowd from the very get go. Judging by the amount of action going down in the pits tonight, it's clear to see that Issues have a strong stage presence with vocalists Tyler Carter and Michael Bohn proving themselves as a force to be reckoned with. The set shifts into 'Love. Sex. Riot.' from their previous 2012 EP 'Black Diamonds' and the crowd responds with a positive vibe.When Tyler Carter comments Michael Bohn on being a tough guy, the question of whether there are any tough guys in the crowd tonight is thrown to the crowd. The pits begin to open up with increasing intensity as the band delves into 'King of Amarillo' showing the band that the fans are clearly interested in the band. Mid way into their set the band take a calmer approach with their song 'Never Lose Your Flames' which balances a strong vocal line from Tyler Carter and a rocking groove behind it. As the set closes, the band make sure to keep things moving and the energy flowing with 'The Settlement' which sees a surge of crowd-surfers get carried to the front of the stage much to the band's expectations. Ending their set on their single 'Hooligans', the crowd is joined in unison as everyone sings along to chorus, bringing the set to a close effectively and with new gained fans. (8/10)
Not Not long after Issues have left the stage the headlining act are getting ready to blow the crowd apart. Then out of the darkness and screams, Of Mice & Men come to the stage with vocalist Austin Carlile belting out the opening lines to 'Public Service Announcement'with the crowd strongly backing him up. Energy is not in shortage here at KOKO tonight as the audience is flustered into a hurricane of moshpits and bodies jumping together. Next up from the LA quintet is 'The Flood', a bonus track from re-issue of the album of the same title. The chugging riff is strong enough to break bones, bringing surging waves of power throughout the crowd. Austin Carlile asks "How many of you have come to see us before?" and the fans cheer with enthusiasm, to which Carlile dedicates the next song to the older fans, with hit single 'OG Loko' crushing the audience, who most definitely 'go hard in the paint' on the breakdown of this song. Given the band's line up changes with previous vocalist Shayley Bourget leaving, we finally get to see bassist and clean vocalist Aaron Pauley's debut on his first UK headlining tour with the band.
Tonight's setlist is primarily full of new material from the band's latest album 'Restoring Force' and the next three songs take from the album with 'Feels Like Forever' opening to guitarists Phil Manansala and Alan Ashby combining a soft reverb guitar line with heavy distortion. Pauley's vocals are on top form here tonight sounding just as good as on the record. 'Bones Exposed' is next on the setlist and really allows drummer Valentino Arteaga's chance to show exactly what he is capable of, with a pounding drum intro followed by Carlile's destructive screamed vocals. After this is 'Would You Still Be There' which has been gaining lots of radio time recently on American and British radio alike.
The The band then go back to their album 'The Flood' for 'Still YDG'n' which brings the crowd together and unifies them, soon followed by Carlile dedicating the next song to anyone who has lost someone in their life with 'Another You' from 'Restoring Force' before jumping back to their debut album for their most famous song 'Second and Sebring' a song which the crowd sings as one huge choir like voice - an emotional moment for sure. To end strong, the band closes on 'Glass Hearts' and 'The Depths' which some of the heaviest songs to be played here at KOKO tonight, we can see that Of Mice & Men follow by the rule of'go big or go home' ending strongly. To conclude their set they finish on the first single 'You're Not Alone' from 'Restoring Force' which is dedicated to each and every person here tonight. It is here that the unity between the fans and the band is really demonstrated and it is clear that the fans really are a huge part of pushing this band's career forward. Judging by tonight's show as well as all of the other dates on this European tour selling out within a month, it is clear to see that the band have surpassed any expectations they had which can surely guarantee that the band will go onto bigger shows in the future. An excellent show which really pushes Of Mice & Men's career forward in the right direction. (9/10)
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