Just recently, I went to another concert to see the American post-hardcore band The Word Alive. It was the second time I saw them live and I absolutely loved it. The first time I saw The word Alive was last year as special guest for Attila. Hence, as I saw they would have another tour this year I got myself some tickets.
The Word Alive was founded 2008 in Phoenix, Arizona (USA) and consists currently of vocalist Telle Smith, lead guitarist Zack Hansen, rhythm guitarist Tony Pizzuti and bassist Ryan Daminson. So far the band released four full-length albums which are ‘Deceiver’ (2010, Fearless Records), ‘Life Cycles’ (2012, Fearless Records), ‘Real.’ (2014, Fearless Records) and ‘Dark Matter’ (2016, Fearless Records). Before their tour with Falling In Reverse in mainland Europe and their solo tour through the UK the heavy alternative quartet released a new single ‘Misery’ (2017, Fearless Records). Musically, they combine personal lyrics and engaging melodies with heavy and dark guitar riffs. Telle’s screamed and clean vocals add a powerful and dynamic element to the band’s music, creating a unique and atmospheric sound.
Camden Assembly, where the concert took place, opened the doors at 7pm to a capacity of up to 400 people. Being a pub on the ground floor, the concert venue was on the second floor and hosted a quite young and very energetic audience.
The first band of the sold-out concert was the US grunge band Lowlives formed in Los Angeles in 2017, California by vocalist Lee Villain, drummer Luke Johnson, bassist Steve Lucarelli and guitarist Jaxon Moore. So far the band has officially released two songs which are ‘Burn Forever’ (2017, self-released) and ‘Thieves’ (2018, self-released). As The Used, with whom the quartet was currently touring, had to cancel the rest of their European tour, they were able to join The Word Alive for their UK shows. Lowlives have a very specific grungy sound with influences of bands such as Nirvana. Lee mixes rough but sung vocals with some screams to create more tension. The vocals are accompanied by heavy and dark guitars that occasionally break out of the regular and present a solo. Together, it is a unique sound especially after the grunge era seamed to have vanished as such. Nevertheless, the sound was very well received by the crowd who immediately picked up the energy and started moshing.
The second band on the stage was the British melodic metalcore band The City Is Ours (they previously toured with Slaves (US) in 2017), who was formed by Conor, Jay, George, Sam and Mikey in 2015 in London. So far, the band has released two EP’s which are ‘Wildfire’ (2016, self-released) and ‘Hollow Hope’ (2017, self-released). Their sound is a mix between melodic choruses and heavy verses, as well as breakdowns during the bridges. Both screamed, and partially clean vocals create dynamic and energy, which was well received by the crowd who danced and jumped along.
The third band of the evening was the Welsh metalcore band Continents, who were founded in 2011. Currently the band consists of Phil Cross (vocals), Darry Sweet (guitar), Rhys Griffiths (guitar), Tim Vincent (bass) and Scott Waters (drums) who so far released two albums, being ‘Idle Hands’ (2013, Artery Recordings) and ‘Reprisal’ (2015, Artery Recordings). Musically the quintet combines a very heavy guitar sound with mainly screamed vocals, creating a lot of energy and tension.
With The Word Alive finally entering the stage, the energy seemed to increase even further. The band opened their set with their latest single ‘Misery’ (2017) and the whole crowd screamed every single word of the songs back to the band who was overwhelmed. There was a huge circle-pit in the middle of the crowd with people running around, jumping and enjoying themselves. The band played a good mix of their old and newer songs, which was highly appreciated by the fans, and ended the show with ‘Trapped’ (2017). Telle’s voice and performance were on top, as well as the performance of the other bandmembers. They had a lot of fun and appreciated the highly energetic, as well as engaging crowd which created an amazing vibe.
The acoustic was well balanced between the instruments and the vocals of all the bands which made created an enjoyable sound. Simple lights and a glowing pattern made of many bulbs attached to the back of the stage created a special ambience and suited the music perfectly.
Overall, it was an absolute pleasure and a special time, especially with such an energetic audience and the amazing performance of the bands. The Word Alive gave their best on stage which was well received by their fans and highly appreciated, resolving in the crowd going mental. It was impressive to hear the whole crow screaming every single lyric of the songs back to the band who was very thankful and overwhelmed.
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A Special Time 