IT’S not everyday that a gig has an audience bouncing from the first song to the last but that’s exactly what Pierce The Veil’s Manchester show did. They pulled out all the stops to make it a night to remember, from confetti canons to serenading a young lady from the crowd.
First up were Southampton’s Creeper with their old-school skate punk sound. They were like a modern and slicker Ramones.
Their songs have a captivating darkness that pulls you in, yet still manages to create a euphoric emotional response, leading to crowd surfers and people singing the lyrics back to the band, especially during the popular tune‘Black Mass’.
He also gave a shout-out to his mum and uncle who were watching them, before moving onto ‘Astral Projection’ and the finale track ‘Misery’, from their ‘The Stranger EP’.
Despite being the first to play they could have easily been the headlining band after putting on such a great performance. The debut album ‘Eternity, In Your Arms’ will be released March next year and, if this performance is anything to go by, will definitely be one to watch.
Sadly, the same cannot be said about Letlive – the second support. Letlive are a unique and exciting American band, who have been releasing awesome record after awesome record, however this does not come across live.
They get full marks for energy and effort but the sound quality was poor and felt unintentionally chaotic most of the time.
Although vocalist Jason Butler fully embraced the band’s post-hardcore style through the classic spitting and throwing equipment around – even himself at times!
All the aggression behind the songs oozing out in a cathartic process to the point it appeared he could have a fight with the microphone stand. This showmanship is hard to come by so whilst the music quality was lacking, people still enjoyed their set.
The American band made it clear that they are not nationalists. They say it’s “hard to be proud of your Country when a bigot is brought into power”, after which a “F**k Donald Trump” chant began leaving the band beaming, it’s clear that the Manchester crowd agrees with their attitude.
A short animation of a rocket taking off with a countdown from 10 is what played before Pierce The Veil’s set. It was done in the style of retro games and added to the the excitement waiting for them. It was lovely that they added in the personal touch of Manchester pin-pointed on the UK map, making it feel special and not just another day of the tour.
Building on the space theme each member of Pierce the Veil came onto the stage through a rocket window dressed in a space suit, as though they were on the animated rocket. The most theatrical part of the evening.
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From the opening song to the last it seemed Manchester were trying to steal Vic Fuentes’ (Vocals and guitar) job. They sung every word to every song back to the band. This was probably a blessing as Fuentes states his “voice is a little funky today”, although that wasn’t noticeable.
Their songs are not cheerful and full of optimism but they are real and meaningful. That might seem a bit ‘emo’ but a feeling of under appreciation is common and relatable to most people, which is probably why it had such a great response from the audience. There was nothing but love and appreciation in the room- on and off the stage.
Pierce The Veil may not be for everyone, but it doesn’t take a fan to realise how good they are live. The theatrics of smoke blasts, streamers and confetti added a bit of wow and drama to the set list; enhancing the entertainment value.
They would however be just as immense without it all. The only disappointment was the fact Kellin Quinn (from the band Sleeping With Sirens) couldn’t be there to sing his parts in the grand finale ‘King For A Day’. They are a polished band who are likely to go on to sell out even bigger venues.
By Coral Jade Daniels
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