After releasing their latest album Let The Ocean Take Me in the summer, The Amity Affliction embarked on a number of tours in support of it, and finally landed in the UK on 28th November, playing their first UK show in Birmingham at The Institute.
Opening up the show were melodic hardcore band Napoleon [5/10], who I managed to just about sneak a glimpse of. Whilst the music they make is great on record, it did not translate well to the atmosphere they were in, which is probably a result of being the first act on as well as their musical style differing from the other bands on the bill. I am sure that in a more intimate setting with their own fans they would put on a spectacle, but it just wasn’t to be.
Next up were the United Kingdom’s very own Heart In Hand [6/10], who’s hardcore vibes gave the crowd a little bit of a boost and reeled in a few movers and shakers. Their performance was strong and clearly emotional for vocalist Charlie Holmes, but once again they suffered from performing to an audience who’s motives weren’t to go wild and hit each other, but to have a sing-a-long and let loose. Nevertheless, they were well received by the crowd who slowly warmed to them more and more.
It is around this point that the venue started to become a bit crowded as more and more filtered in from outside just in time to witness music heavy enough to help you lay your own bricks. The Plot In You [8/10] are a band that on the surface look like the typical whiny metalcore band, but when they kicked off their support set with ‘Filth’ off their debut album First Born, everyone opened their eyes and took notice. Combining heavy wavering chugging riffs with melodic and soulful choruses, The Plot In You had a presence that took up the whole stage without any of them having to move. Unlike the previous acts on though, they did not interact with the crowd too much and instead focused on winding up their brutal set.
This just left headliners The Amity Affliction [9/10], who took to the stage to a rousing reception from a crowd that sprung to life instantly. Kicking off their set with ‘Pittsburgh’, the opening track off their new album Let The Ocean Take Me, a mosh pit instantly opened up as soon as the first chord was struck, and the inevitable sing-a-long ensued.
None of this was at all surprising, as The Amity Affliction are a band with an incredibly passionate and dedicated fan base. Add to that the fact that it was a small venue and even those at the back were in fairly close proximity to the stage, which meant that the crowd didn’t miss a beat. Alternating between songs off their new album and songs off previous releases Chasing Ghosts and Youngbloods, there were great receptions to the title tracks on both those albums which have previously been released as singles and are more well known.
They signed off their set with fan favourite ‘Open Letter’ and their latest single ‘Don’t Lean On Me’, which electrified the room with enough energy for everyone to throw down once over. But it was not meant to be, their set was only 10 songs long and they did not play an encore, no matter how much the crowd chanted for one. It was an unusual end to a brilliant set and a brilliant show, one where singer Ahren Stringer stole the limelight with his unique and completely on-point vocals.
