A Special Time

Farewell, Casey!

‘It’s time for us to bury our love.’ – The talented guys in Casey have decided to call it an end and headed out on the road one last time for their final tour.

In December 2018, the Welsh emotive post-hardcore outlet, comprising vocalist Tom Weaver, both guitarists Toby Evans and Liam Torrance, bassist Adam Smith and drummer Max Nicolai released a statement saying that they decided to end the band and shortly after announced their farewell tour. The quintet is known for their pure, honest and personal lyrics as well as the melancholic ambient guitars mixed with a heavy rock sound. Thematically, the band wrote about their struggle with mental health, about past relationships and about dark parts of their lives. Musically they created a unique dark, raw and vulnerable atmosphere with their both explosive and ambient sound. Tom’s impressive vocals alternate between clean and screamed vocals, spoken paraphrases and emotional outbursts which adds to the overall dynamic of the songs. All different elements help to deliver the message of the songs in the most honest, vulnerable and raw way possible. Until now, they released an EP named ‘Fade’ in 2015 (via Hassle Records), followed by their debut album ‘Love Is Not Enough’ in 2016 (via Hassle Records) and their second full-length ‘Where I Go When I Am Sleeping’ in 2018 (via Hassle Records). For their two sold-out final London shows at The Dome, they played one album per show in full length each, as well as their singles and EP.

The venue opened its doors on both days around 7pm, letting a mixed audience of both younger and older fans enter. On Friday, the first band on stage was the American melodic hardcore band Gatherers who played their first Europe and UK shows on this tour. The quintet comprising vocalist Rich Weinberger, both guitarists Anthony Gesa and Rob Talalai, bassist Zach Crockett and drummer Adam Cichocki, formed in 2011 and released three full-length albums to date, the latest being ‘We Are Alive Beyond Repair’ (2018, Equal Vision Records). Musically, they mix mostly rough and screamed vocals with a dark and heavy guitar sound. Starting off the first night, they set the energy levels high and got the crowd excited for what was coming next. The second band was the British emotive post-hardcore band Acres, comprising vocalist Ben Lumber, the guitarists Alex Freeman and Theo Sandberg, as well as drummer Konnor Bracher-Walsh. For their live shows Jack Rogers joined them as bassist. Musically, the quartet creates an emotional, melancholic and ambient sound with heavy breakdowns and atmospheric melodies. Ben’s vocals alternate between calmly sung and rough screams in their verses, as well as emotional outbursts and belted vocals in their choruses which creates a dynamic but at the same time haunted atmosphere. Until now, Acres self-released their debut EP ‘In Sickness And Health’ in 2017, followed by several single releases and an album announcement for 2019. Even though they struggled with some health issues, they powered through the set with help of the audience who screamed the lyrics back to the stage on the top of their lungs, warming up for Casey.

After a quick break and decoration of the stage, Casey dived right into Bloom and played through the first album, adding songs such as ‘Fade’ and ‘Teeth’ from their EP, as well as ‘Phosphenes’, ‘Fluorescents’ and ‘Bruise’ before ending the night with ‘Hell’. The second Casey entered the stage the crowd went absolutely mental. Everyone screamed the vocals on the top of their lungs and started crowd surfing. Towards the end of the set Tom took the chance to thank the fans for their continuous support and love before they dived right into the final part of the set.

The second day started slightly different with Acres opening the stage, followed by Gatherers who both have been welcomed warmly by the crowd and where deeply thankful for the crowd’s participation and feedback. As it was Casey’s gig for ‘Where I Go When I Am Sleeping’, they started the set with ‘Making Weight’ before running through the original order of the songs on the album which ended with ‘Wound’. Before diving into the final part including ‘Fade’, ‘Haze’, ‘Hell’, ‘Ceremony’ and ‘Teeth’, Tom took the chance during a little break, to speak to the audience, thanking everyone who was involved in the band, the other supporting bands, as well as the audience. The final song of the night was ‘Little Bird’ which followed a short introduction of Tom in which he turned to the audience once more with a heartfelt speech to give everyone a message on their way – ‘Live is uncertain’ and even though it might look hopeless at present it can turn into light and get better in the future.

The acoustic and lightshow for all three bands were on point and suited each set perfectly. Casey put a lot of thought into their stage appearance, decorating it with flowers and smaller standing lights to create a funeral-like vibe.

Overall, both evenings where a special time and full of emotions. It was great to see that every band member seemed to be happy and positive even though it was their farewell tour. They seemed to have a blast on stage and gave their best while appreciating the overwhelming crowd participation. The fans enjoyed themselves by screaming the lyrics on the top of their lungs and wildly crowd-surfing.

It is sad to see such a talented group of musicians go, but it is exciting to see what the next chapter in their lives will bring. With this chapter closing, it is now time to burry our love. Farewell, Casey! And all the best for whatever exciting adventures the future may hold.

Venue: The Dome

Band: Casey

Support: Gatherers, Acres

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