It’s been a long while since Fightstar played Norwich; however, tonight they are here, and they’ve brought a couple of very important friends with them.
Kicking things off in a high impact fashion are four-piece Making Monsters. With quite the gig resume behind them, it’s easy to see how these guys have gained their awesome reputation. Starting with ‘Bad Blood’, an intense mix of hard-hitting dark riffs and soaring vocals that cut like a knife through the airwaves. There’s something so enticing about Emma’s clean vocals; they hold the high end of a note so effortlessly, and like a siren, she leads the crowd to be lost in a moment of divinity and wonderful melodies, then crushes your gut with her otherworldly screams, which honestly made this reviewer jump out of his skin. I think that’s a sign of something pretty special. You see, Making Monsters are a band that comes to the stage with the intention of upsetting everything you thought you knew while making it look and sound good. Finishing off with track ‘Nosebleed’, a gritty, relentless track that left the crowd headbanging to hardcore rhythms and low guttural growls, an intense, sudden end to the strongest opening band I’ve seen in recent memory. It won’t be long before catching that at intimate venues becomes a thing of the past.
Next up Kingston upon Thames’ three-piece musketeers Arcane Roots descend into an atmospheric intro that soon turns into a song masterpiece, ‘Over and Over’, a breakthrough of powerful chords and spot on harmonised vocals, getting the crowd punching the air aggressively a visible sign they couldn’t get enough. All 3 members bending, twisting and all out dancing on stage provokes the crowd into doing the same. With a chorus which will be a new favourite under the ‘all time greats’ category leading the audience into a prayer like chant, as if already at full climax from the start that only gets better and better. At the opposite end of the scale ‘Slow Dance’ leans more towards an ambient feel mixed with emphatic emotional vocals, done so intelligently it masked the awesome crescendo sending the room into a whirlwind of flashing lights and finely tuned chaos. When all was said and done, Arcane Roots gave a performance that felt as if we had seen the main attraction. Utterly beautiful set.
The stage goes dark, the crowd roars, it’s that time. Bellows from the guitars, audience clapping in anticipation, the climax of the night was here and there’s no one better to lead this than our own Commander in Chief Mr. Charlie Simpson of Fightstar. ‘Sharp Tongue’ from the album ‘Behind the Devils Back’ shows a deep hardcore edge, taking the band in a slightly different direction than previous albums, although mixed seamlessly with familiar pop choruses that Fightstar have cemented themselves a name for doing and doing very well. While the newer songs are definitely their heaviest writing to date, it’s still maintained in such a way as not to deter the casual listener. A particular highlight of this song was the instrumentals, the double kick from the drums could be felt in the pit of the stomach and were so winding I’m pretty sure Charlie and co could feel the exhale of breath from the crowd.
When they played title track ‘Behind the Devils Back’ a whiff of Deftones ‘Diamond Eyes’ seem to initially fill the room with deeper more growled vocals and a crunching riff line. However, the similarities soon stopped, and Fightstar brought in their blend of melodic vocals searing breakdowns and one heck of a beautiful ambient section. Yes the lads are back and my how they have leaped from merely being another post hardcore band on the scene to the very tip top of the alternative rock genre. Old but gold favorite ‘Paint Your Target’ started being picked on the guitars and really there was no need at this point for a vocalist to sing as the crowd were taking that role into their own hands and screaming as loud as they could to every word. Nostalgia filled the room and there was nothing to do except dance until your feet bled and at one point there was the biggest circle pit I’ve seen in this venue for some time all orchestrated by the aforementioned Commander in Chief. ‘Wake Up’ an older softer song where Alex Westaway’s vocals compliments Charlies back and forth this showing the raw emotion that has always powered the bands entire back catalogue of songs. Emotions were running high even a few teary eyed onlookers in awe of the show in front of them a genuine sincere moment adding that little bit more to the show. ‘Mono’ was the end of the show, and never have one crowd felt so connected to a band waving hands and a wall of crowd vocals, in this moment, the band had enticed everyone into their world and I speak for all of us when I say we could have stayed there forever.
Fightstar have signed themselves off into the history books as being masters of their craft, they will be remembered as alternative rock royalty. The show was incredible, but if you truly want to understand what I mean, then catch them on tour and bring a camera.
Words – Marc Allum
Photography – Kayleigh Warren
