Every Time I Die, hailing from
Buffalo, New York, really know how to put on a show. The self-confessed kings
of ‘party hardcore’ have arrived on UK shores off the back off the highly
successful release of one of this year’s best heavy albums, ‘Ex Lives’, and are
set to smash some of the best small stages in the country to dust, starting in
spectacular style in Southampton and moving onto night number 2 at The Fleece
in Bristol, bringing with them a solid touring line-up (including New Yorkers
Stray From The Path and the UK’s own Last Witness). With years of experience on
the circuit and a bunch of classic albums under their belt, it was clear from
the get go that this wasn’t going to be a show to miss, and when the banner of
the ‘Ex Lives’ album artwork was revealed on stage soon after the doors opened,
the excitement started to build.
This excitement may have been
the undoing of Last Witness, who although were solid in terms of their dirty
hardcore and slick delivery, didn’t really seem to manage to get the Bristol
crowd on their side. Sure, for a few songs things seemed to be going their way,
but evidently much of the audience that were here at this early stage hadn’t
done so out of interest in seeing this band. There wasn’t much applause between
songs and the band didn’t seem to have much interest in saying anything
interesting to those watching them, let alone facing them every once in a
while. It was all a little bit awkward, for band and audience member alike, and
no amount of distortion could cover that up.
Stray From The Path gained a
much better reaction, many loyal fans showing up in numbers to support them
though a set that endured several technical hiccups but succeeded in terms of
moshworthy tunes. Full of resentment and violence, the band unleashed some
truly venomous songs that lived up to the hype they have been receiving in
recent months. The likes of ‘Damien’ and ‘Bring It Back To The Streets’ saw the
first crowd surfing of the night and the sneering presence of vocalist Drew
York proved that they are a force to be reckoned with in the world of hardcore.
New track ‘Landmines’ hits hard and left the stage ready for the headline act
to arrive.
Every Time I Die arrive with a bang, the first notes of ‘After One Quarter
of A Revolution’ shaking The Fleece to its core. Bearded lothario Keith Buckley
leads the charge with his fantastic and intelligent lyrics, each song arriving
in quick succession and barely giving the crowd a chance to catch breath. ‘Bored
Stiff’ and ‘Kill the Music’ sound particularly huge in this venue, the thick
guitars shaking the walls and provoking plenty of crowd surfing. Between songs
Buckley is as amusing as ever, his take on the Bristol accent uncannily
convincing. The hardcore continues with some select tracks from the band’s most
recent album, ‘Ex Lives’. Highlights include ‘Underwater Bimbos From Outer
Space’ and ‘I Suck (Blood)’, but it’s the tracks from previous albums (getting
a wonderful workout with renewed energy from the band) like ‘The New Black’ and
‘Wanderlust’ that stand head and shoulders above everything else. It’s a
fast-paced, white knuckle ride that ends with a quick triple jolt of heaviness
in the form of ‘Eloborama’, ‘We’rewolf’ and
‘Floater’ before ETID leave the stage as quickly as they took to it. There’s no
encore, and to be honest, one isn’t needed. They’ve done enough to cement their
position as one of the best live bands to come from across the shores without a
final flurry, and you have to respect them for that.
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