First of all, sorry for the lateness of this review. I'm in the process of revising for/sitting my A level exams, and so I'm really busy, but I just had to write this review as seeing this band live has been one of the most significant events of my life (how so is another story). I'll try really hard not to be bias...
Few bands have had such a melodramatic musical career in such a short time as Of Mice & Men. With both the leave and return of lead vocalist Austin Carlile, the departure of bassist/back-up vocalist Shayley Bourget and the arrival of his replacement Aaron Pauley, things have been pretty hectic, but they're back for their third UK headline tour following the release of their third studio album, Restoring Force.
It is evident that Of Mice & Men are one of the best-loved bands of the metal scene; I myself have travelled over three hundred miles to see them, and I speak to several others who have travelled at least a hundred- all to see this relatively newborn band play a tiny venue that by day runs as a roller disco. The crowd have barely just been crammed in when Beartooth (8/10) walk on to the tiny stage, and everything feels a bit claustrophobic; that is until lead vocalist Caleb Shomo manages to completely split the crowd down the middle for a wall of death in the second song they perform, The Lines. Throughout their set, all members of the band are fuelled by a fearsome energy and by their last song, I Have A Problem, the whole crowd have been converted into die-hard Beartooth fans and can't help but mosh along. Few opening bands ever manage to control an audience so well, and this is why Beartooth are going to be a huge deal.
Whilst still delivering a decent set, Issues (5/10) are simply mediocre following their performance. Naturally songs such as Princeton Ave and King of Amarillo are loved by the crowd, but it's more due to the fact that they actually know the lyrics opposed to the band putting their heart and soul into it. With such a dry performance, it's hard to forget that Issues are essentially just Jason Derulo with breakdowns.
When the members of Of Mice & Men (10/10) finally walk on stage one by one and the opening chords of Public Service Announcement begin to play it feels like the place is going to explode. It's hard to believe that such a small crowd can make such a decibel-defying noise, yet the room is once again a wall-to-wall mosh pit and it's unclear if the venue will withstand. After opening with a new song, they further excite the crowd with classics from The Flood- the album which brought their success- such as "OG Loko", which Austin dedicates to their long-term fans, and "Let Live", as well as the hostile title track from the reissue.
Providing thrills for fans old and new, they also debut a few songs from their latest album and each is met with exceptional satisfaction from the crowd. The combination of Austin's screams and Aaron's perfected clean vocals is exemplary, and the singalongs to softer songs Another You and Feels Like Forever are both beautiful and enchanting, and keep the setlist refreshing.
Surprisingly, the band play their most loved song, Second & Sebring, partway through the set without warning, but as soon as it hits everyone the place is chaos. The song is delivered with such enthusiasm and emotion, it's hard not to shed a tear to the meaningful lyrics. During the famous "this is not what it is only baby scars, I need your love like a boy needs his mother's side" the band drop their instruments and Austin hold the microphone over to the crowd. The crowd alone singing these memorable words is simply mesmerising. It's one of the most extraordinary things to ever be experienced by anyone here, and the smile on Austin's face shows it.
However, there is no hesitance to throw the crowd straight back into full-frontal carnage as Austin gets the whole crowd to sit down and jump up to the intense "Get up!" at the start of The Depths. Perhaps their heaviest track, it's impossible to stand still as adrenaline surges after such an amazing set.
They finish with the first single from Restoring Force, You're Not Alone and it's brilliant. Whilst not a soft song, it's a lot calmer after the previous and provides the exhausted crowd a soothing finale to an exceptional show. The crowd doesn't stop chanting praise even minutes after the band have left the stage, showing that Of Mice & Men are a truly phenomenal band and have proved exactly why they are one of the most relevant bands of their genre.
It is evident that Of Mice & Men are one of the best-loved bands of the metal scene; I myself have travelled over three hundred miles to see them, and I speak to several others who have travelled at least a hundred- all to see this relatively newborn band play a tiny venue that by day runs as a roller disco. The crowd have barely just been crammed in when Beartooth (8/10) walk on to the tiny stage, and everything feels a bit claustrophobic; that is until lead vocalist Caleb Shomo manages to completely split the crowd down the middle for a wall of death in the second song they perform, The Lines. Throughout their set, all members of the band are fuelled by a fearsome energy and by their last song, I Have A Problem, the whole crowd have been converted into die-hard Beartooth fans and can't help but mosh along. Few opening bands ever manage to control an audience so well, and this is why Beartooth are going to be a huge deal.
Whilst still delivering a decent set, Issues (5/10) are simply mediocre following their performance. Naturally songs such as Princeton Ave and King of Amarillo are loved by the crowd, but it's more due to the fact that they actually know the lyrics opposed to the band putting their heart and soul into it. With such a dry performance, it's hard to forget that Issues are essentially just Jason Derulo with breakdowns.
When the members of Of Mice & Men (10/10) finally walk on stage one by one and the opening chords of Public Service Announcement begin to play it feels like the place is going to explode. It's hard to believe that such a small crowd can make such a decibel-defying noise, yet the room is once again a wall-to-wall mosh pit and it's unclear if the venue will withstand. After opening with a new song, they further excite the crowd with classics from The Flood- the album which brought their success- such as "OG Loko", which Austin dedicates to their long-term fans, and "Let Live", as well as the hostile title track from the reissue.
Providing thrills for fans old and new, they also debut a few songs from their latest album and each is met with exceptional satisfaction from the crowd. The combination of Austin's screams and Aaron's perfected clean vocals is exemplary, and the singalongs to softer songs Another You and Feels Like Forever are both beautiful and enchanting, and keep the setlist refreshing.
Surprisingly, the band play their most loved song, Second & Sebring, partway through the set without warning, but as soon as it hits everyone the place is chaos. The song is delivered with such enthusiasm and emotion, it's hard not to shed a tear to the meaningful lyrics. During the famous "this is not what it is only baby scars, I need your love like a boy needs his mother's side" the band drop their instruments and Austin hold the microphone over to the crowd. The crowd alone singing these memorable words is simply mesmerising. It's one of the most extraordinary things to ever be experienced by anyone here, and the smile on Austin's face shows it.
However, there is no hesitance to throw the crowd straight back into full-frontal carnage as Austin gets the whole crowd to sit down and jump up to the intense "Get up!" at the start of The Depths. Perhaps their heaviest track, it's impossible to stand still as adrenaline surges after such an amazing set.
They finish with the first single from Restoring Force, You're Not Alone and it's brilliant. Whilst not a soft song, it's a lot calmer after the previous and provides the exhausted crowd a soothing finale to an exceptional show. The crowd doesn't stop chanting praise even minutes after the band have left the stage, showing that Of Mice & Men are a truly phenomenal band and have proved exactly why they are one of the most relevant bands of their genre.
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