When Neck Deep announced their latest UK tour, you just knew it was going to be every pop punk lover’s dream. With a killer line-up that only served to impress more and more as the night went on, Neck Deep brought everyone to Concorde 2 in Brighton on a freezing cold February night and showed them the time of their lives.
Trophy Eyes were the first act to grace the stage and took to it as if they were headliners, bringing instant energy to everyone there. As the room filled up, people were pushing themselves closer together in anticipation. It is safe the say the band knew what they were doing, with melodies that made you want to bounce off the ceiling (which many fans did!).
Seaway were up next and everything you could ask for from a support act. Watching Seaway, I truly forgot for a split second that I was there mainly for Neck Deep as their show was so incredibly impressive. This band were a highlight from the entire night and brought something so special. Although the announcement of filming the new music video for their song ‘Alberta’ meant that the crowd peaked danger, everybody seemed to be enjoying the time they had with the band.
Knuckle Puck were third to hit the stage and there was no way anyone could be disappointed. There had been a buzz around them, with them set to tour the US later this year with The Maine for the American Candy tour, so we were all excited to see what they were going to bring to this tiny venue. Succeeding in boiling up the room for Neck Deep’s later arrival, fans were shoving each other and seemingly having a great time and that’s all you could ever ask for from a gig.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PRymK0tM80?rel=0]
After what seemed like an enjoyable forever, Neck Deep finally opened with ‘Losing Teeth’ and the crowd went insane. ‘Losing Teeth’ was a very clever song to open with as it’s as catchy as a song could ever be and got everybody on their feet, despite most people in the room still being exhausted from the support acts. It was easy to see how far the band have come in only a few years and how humble and grateful they are for it too.
Neck Deep sold us classic songs from Wishful Thinking that night but also uniquely played songs that had not yet been performed live before this tour, which added a special vibe to the show, making everyone cheer in appreciation. An amazing part of the night was when lead singer Ben Barlow announced they were playing ‘A Part Of Me’ and gave an extremely passionate performance to a quiet and emotional audience that sang back perfectly in time. Everybody took out their phones and whilst the audience sang back to him, a wide grin filled Barlow’s face and you knew he was happy to be doing what he loves, no doubt about it.
An impressive night, full of impressive bands. Now we only wish we could go back.
Words by Zara Rowden
@zaraannecharlie