Every Time I Die / Comeback Kid / Knocked Loose / Higher Power
Manchester Academy 2 – 28/11/17
Due to ever growing traffic and confusing one ways in Manchester, we were unfortunately only able to capture the final song from Leeds Hardcore outfit, Higher Power (7). If their final song was anything to go off of, they had the crowd full of energy, with a pit taking up the majority of the front of the room, with a flurry of fans desperate for a mic grab!
Knocked Loose (7) are the first band we catch in full. Upon opening the set with Oblivion’s Peak, there is an immediate marmite impact. Some of the crowd looks around, confused at what they’re seeing and hearing, whilst the majority snaps their necks to the open note grooves the Kentucky Hardcore outfit are providing. With an intense, fast paced but equally quirky and disjointed sound, the band rattle through their set, not dropping any of their intensity, even between breaks, frontman Bryan Garris keeps the energy in the room high, commanding destruction and praising Every Time I Die for the opportunities they’ve offered this up and coming band. Ending their set with Deadringer, the band walk off stage to a room of admiration, clearly winning over the majority of doubters, yet some still need a bit more convincing.
With a tenure of nearly 20 years (17 specifically, but 20 sounds a lot more grandiose), Comeback Kid (9) have toured the world multiple times over and have been inspiring punks for years, tonight is no exception. Opening with False Idols Fall, an immediate throwback to 2005, the crowd ruptures into a frantic frenzy of circle pits, necks rocking back and forth and crowd surfing. Releasing their latest album this year, Outsiders, combined with relentless touring has enabled a whole new generation to experience this classic Hardcore Punk stylistic that Comeback Kid have pioneered for years and songs such as Surrender Control display why they’re able to continue to do so. With a fresh and catchy group chorus line with high energy riffs, the immediate contrast opening from a song they wrote in 2005 to one released in 2017 proves how versatile the band are.
Newer songs such as Somewhere Somehow have the same fast riffs and catchy chorus, whilst older songs such as All In Year and Lower The Line please the older and more dedicated fans. As this chaotic set comes to a close with classic, Wake The Dead, the crowd musters up enough energy to lose their shit one more time, which has been lost multiple times throughout this enthralling set, leaving the crowd rowdy for headliners, ETID.
We’ve seen Every Time I Die (10) before. Simply put, they’re one of the best live bands on the planet, following in the footsteps of bands such as The Dillinger Escape Plan for their unpredictable live show and Refused and Hatebreed for their live intensity, but we were simply not prepared for this set.
Opening their 20-song set list with No Son Of Mine, the simultaneous sound of necks snapping fills the room as riffs upon riffs upon riffs blow up the eardrums of everyone in attendance. Whether you’re stood at the sides of the room, up front or towards the back, you’re moving and feeling the electric energy in the room. Singer Keith Buckley’s vocals are as per usual, monstrously powerful, commanding interaction and for chaos and the crowd provides. The first song hasn’t even finished yet and the security are rushed off their feet every which way, as Jordan Buckley (brother to singer Keith) has made his way into the crowd, leg cast and all after recently injuring his leg, but you’d think it was a spring the way he leaps across the stage.
They continue through their epic set, once again, having a rather vast back catalogue spanning since 2000, the band have plentiful choice to please die hard fans, as well as newer fans. Newer classics such as The Coin Has A Say and I Don’t Want To Join Your Stupid Cult Anyway litter the top half of the set, as crowd surfers and pits erupt as each song starts. After the mega release of Low Teens in 2016, they could simply play that entire album plus a few others and it would still be a HUGE set, however, why settle for just huge when you can go bigger?
The New Black, Romeo A Go-Go, InRihab, Apocalypse Now And Then all make an appearance in quick succession, much to the delight of long term and more dedicated fans, but to the few who may not know these tracks, they still go crazy, because, you know. Riffs! As the New York five piece continue to rip through their set, during brief moments of calm and tuning up, Keith addresses the crowd, explaining that this is their twentieth show in a row, which makes us think, how the chuff are they still putting on such an energetic show? Apart from maybe guitarist Andy Williams…he’s seriously jacked, seemingly as the crowds and riffs get bigger, so does he.
The show carries on, with more and more bangers being crammed into the set, the security continue to pull multiple crowd surfers over the barrier as the pit gets larger and voices grow weaker due to every song being bellowed back to the band on stage.
The band eventually walks off the stage with a screaming feedback filling the room after concluding their set with monster the song Fear And Trembling (which could be a great wrestling PPV name). The crowd stays to catch a glimpse of the band, but as they are forced out of the venue, they’re greeted by the band already being a their merch stand, waiting to greet those in attendance. Unbelievably selfless considering they’ve just played a hugely intense, hour long set (the twentieth in a row might we add). But this is what ETID do. They love their ETIDiots and will happily take the time to thank everyone.
Without a doubt, Every Time I Die are one of the most underrated bands of the past decade, only that week getting a front cover from Kerrang magazine, but they’re deserving of this every week. With riffs upon riffs, a mental, yet consistent show and the selfless attitude the band possess, they are the epitome of grateful and talented and for that, we can’t wait till they’re back.
