12 pm. Houston Calls and Farewell’s equipment is just being loaded in. Yet 7 hours before doors open on this sold out show, there are already people queuing outside the Solus in Cardiff.
Sure enough, 7 hours later those same people are still there only now behind them is a mass of mainly teenage girls. Not that this is a bad thing; it’s probably fulfilling to have such a loyal female fan base. But what does this say about their music? I’ll leave you decide, I’m just here to review the gig.
Openers Farewell were probably not widely known among the crowd, as they aren’t splashed over Kerrang! weekly like the headliners You Me At Six are. It was hard to know what to expect from Farewell’s live show, as this tour is their first experience in the UK.
Keeping it simple, Farewell went straight in to the upbeat track “Stay Pretty” from their album “Isn’t This Supposed To Be Fun!?” The house sound guy was pretty off the ball. Regardless, Farewell carried on like pros. Quickly, the crowd got into the mood of the night. There were mosh-pits to ballad “War”.
Farewell finished their set up with “First One On The Blog”, possibly their best song of the night. No doubt they left the stage having gained countless fans.
Houston Calls, having toured the UK before oozed confidence as they played. Even when the majority of people in the audience probably hadn’t heard of this band, Houston Calls had absolute control over the audience. One song had the crowd jumping, pumping fists, clapping, mosh-pitting and singing along.
Personally, I’d expect Farewell to be higher on the bill than Houston Calls, but after seeing them play it is clear that they are the more experienced band. This band has the talent to lodge melodies in your head just through their live show.
It was hard to see how You Me At Six could follow Houston Calls’ set. But, as the time came closer for them to grace the stage, I could feel the raw excitement building in the crowd.
When the lights went down and the intro music kicked in, the crowd literally erupted. I don’t think Jesus himself would have been given such an epic welcome. The first song however was quite an anti-climax. The hardcore fans loved it, but You Me At Six failed to come out with a bang. The up side was, the sound guy had got the sound balance right finally.
“Jealous Minds Think Alike”, arguably their best song came next. It was impossible not to sing along to the anthemic chorus. Then You Me At Six played “Gossip”, another one of their singles with an infectious chorus.
It was easy to see that You Me At Six love what they do, putting everything into each song. Their songs are no mercury prize-winning songs but who cares when they put on such a good show. As the night came to a close, it was truly inspiring to see such a young band that have achieved what You Me At Six have. They are definitely a band worth seeing live.
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Interview with Houston Calls
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You Me At Six Live W/ Houston Calls and Farewell
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