Currents headed to a hotly anticipated sold-out London show as part of their EU/UK headline tour celebrating last year’s album release of ‘The Death We Seek’.
Hailing from Connecticut, the metalcore quintet Currents is known for their brutal breakdowns, chugging riffs and heart-breaking breakdowns all wrapped into a sweet melancholia which saw them quickly rising within the scene and making a name for themselves. The mixture of atmospheric soundscapes and weighty electronic combined with brutal riffs and beastly screams creates a dynamic that causes a whiplash of emotions.
Opening the stage, Sentinels, a metallic hardcore band from New-Jersy, woke up the crowd right from the start blasting them off their feet with a massive wall of sound consisting of chaotic riffs, brutal screams and gutturals, and thundering drumbeats. The crowd eagerly absorbed the energy they were provided with and transformed it into massive mosh pits and eager crowd participation.
Next up was the Birmingham based metalcore outfit Oceans Ate Alaska, who picked up the energy right where Sentinels left it. Having had a moment to catch their breaths the crowd proved thy were still full of energy. Especially crowd favourite Hansha saw the whole room off their feet and singing on top of their lungs. After some recent lineup changes, the band proved they still had it in them and were very tight, however, their new vocalist seemed to struggle a bit as the lows were fairly good but lacking in versatility while the cleans weren’t there yet.
Third band of the evening was the emotional hardcore band Being As An Ocean from California, who brought a more melodic and atmospheric heavy sound than the rest of the lineup. With the absence of their original vocalist, they brought Ithaca’s Djamila, who had only four days to learn the whole set. Nevertheless, she filled the gap with ease and added an emotional heaviness to the already emotive lyrics with her distinct screams. Michael’s warming cleans during the choruses brought back some familiarity and filled the gaps between the screams. Unfortunately, the sound wasn’t quite right and the vocals seemed to drown in sea of ambience and guitar sounds.
With the lights dimming for the final time and the intro of ‘Living in Tragedy‘ kicking in, Current’s made their way to the stage and were greeted by a eagerly awaiting crowd. The power and energy behind the quintet were unhinged and the relentless set spanning their last four albums offered a good mix of older and newer songs. With their crushing breakdowns and anthemic singalong moments, they encouraged a flood of crowd surfers and singalongs throughout their set, while crushing breakdowns encouraged the formation of massive circle pits right in front of the stage. Closing the set with the anthemic ‘Unfamiliar’, the crowd gave all they had left singing at the top of their lungs finishing off the night with a bang. Unfortunately, the sound throughout the set was not well balanced and quite muffled which luckily didn’t seem to bother the crowd to much as they made up for it with their singalongs.
Overall, it was a special time with loads of emotions and everyone seemed to have had a fantastic evening filled with energy and great music – whether it being the bands on stage or the crowd singing on top of their lungs and moshing along.
Venue: o2 Academy Islington
Band: Currents
Support: Sentinels, Oceans Ate Alaska, Being As An Ocean
You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to stay updated.
A Special Time Creative 