Manchester Club Academy
28th September 2011
A young crowd have gathered in the sun for tonight's show and there is a buzz of teenage arrogance and enthusiasm in the air. Sleeping With Sirens open the show. They perform a short but memorable set, opening with melodic but strong 'If You Can't Hang' and crowd favourite 'If I'm James Dean, You're Audrey Hepburn'. SWS's sound converts extremely well from record to live performance. Woe Is Me follow suit with a passionate performance. New singer, Hance, is dressed like Plan B tonight and seems hesitant to get involved, but has potential to be a new Chester Bennington. They are tonight's clear favourite with the crowd. A strong chant of 'Woe Is Me' echoes through the venue whilst the next band set up on stage. The crowd halves, as I Set My Friends On Fire turn the amps up to eleven. The aggressive performance leaves spectators longing for A Skylit Drive to take to the stage. There is not a lot of build up between bands and A Skylit Drive bounce onto the stage to the surprise of audience members. Tonight's sound is tinny and vocals muffled, not that it matters as the crowd chant every word back at them. Jag's gentle vocal is outshone by Brian's screams tonight, but the fans are so engrossed in the performance they seem not to care. It has to be said that this may not have been the case in a different venue. Songs roll out with ease and A Skylit Drive seem to be enjoying themselves. 'Too Little Too Late' causes a stir and is clearly a popular choice. They happily deliver a short encore including 'Wires ... And The Concept Of Breathing', and by the reaction from the room they could have stayed on stage all night.
C x
