Inside the room is boiling and everyone is eager to
be entertained, first up is Riots, who I cannot find anything about on the
internet. This young group are alright,
they are pop rock with a bit of indie thrown in. They sound ok for the most but
have rather heavy bass that washes out the other instruments from time to time
but I'm guessing this is due to sound problems and not how they are meant to
sound. They have catchy chorus's with harmonies a plenty And this young crowd
laps it up, but to be fair this is one of the youngest crowds I've seen in a
long while so any band would keep them entertained as long as it had pretty you
lads in it. They tie up this fast paced set and can be proud of themselves,
they've entertained and put on a decent show despite their young age and sound
problems.
Next on is Bedford based Don Broco, who have played
Birmingham quite allot over the past few months and are making quite a name for
themselves. I was really looking forward to them but unfortunately I think I
built it up too much. They burst straight into their new single Priorities
which sounds pretty good instrument wise, the flowing bass, heavy riffs and
fast drums are ace but the singing can hardly be heard under the strength of
the rest of the band. They move around the stage and make it their own, whilst using
creates to stand up above the crowd and jump off. They have fun with their
short set which includes singer Rob Damiani jumping into the crowd and getting
in amongst the sweaty fans, they get people onto each other’s shoulders to get
a festival atmosphere and they do the odd synchronized dance moves on stage,
but underneath this fun stage show are songs that just are not strong enough,
they're good don't get me wrong but they're lacking something that pushes them
over the edge. Hopefully they'll come back when there album drops in summer
with stronger songs to back up there frantic live show!
Next up is the main act, We The Kings. This 5 piece
pop rock band from Florida are rather popular over here with 3 albums rather
big selling albums and a sell-out tour under their belts. So it's no wonder they
put on a good show starting with poppy anthem She Takes Me High Then continuing
the fun with Skyway Avenue and What You Do To Me. They sound great, with all
the problems from earlier in the night sorted so the levels are all good, so
you can hear Travis's smooth and creamy vocals over the sweet medley of clean
guitars and keys, with some nice plodding bass and hi hats thrown in for good
measure.
This band is a fun time band, they have no
gimmicks, they're pop rock and they're proud of it, every song is catchy and
happy and that's how everyone here likes it.
Singer Travis Clark puts their love of the fans into context "you
are the only reason we exist, if you didn't come to the shows then we wouldn't
do this! So with that said it means you are now a part of the band, so sing
along" so this mostly female crowd off screechers, who for most of the
night scream and pierce my ears as they grab the attention of the bands but now
they sing along to Secret Valentine perfectly, it really sounds amazing leaving
Travis with little to do on stage.
Most of the band leave the stage and leave Travis
and Coley O’Toole alone to do two slowed down songs We’ll Be A Dream and Heaven
Can Wait, which are stripped back and bear with just the acoustic guitar and
piano. This is a nice change of pace and mixes the set up with some ballads before
going back into the whole band with Every Single Dollar and Say You Like Me.
I am not a massive fan of We The Kings but they do,
what they do well and if you’re in the mood for some pop rock and want something
less mainstream than Mcfly then We The Kings are the bad for you! The only
thing I will say bad about them is that singer Travis goes on about sex way too
much and considering the audience is made up of 14 year olds it's probably not
the most appropriate. The band wrap up this short set with a excellent speeded
up version of The Middle by Jimmy Eat World and finishing with the summer time anthem
Check Yes Juliet.
Overall tonight has been fun, the supports where
decent enough and We The Kings were great, it is a shame they haven’t played
more songs as they only play 4 from each of their albums meaning that everyone
leaves the venue half hour before curfew, even with them talking quite allot
between songs. But everyone has had a
good night and they can go home and enjoy the rest of this bank holiday weekend
with a smile on their face.
Riots 3/5
Don Broco 3/5
We The Kings 4.5/5
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