On Tuesday 22nd November, the live music agency Upsurge brought together the regional, the national and the international to Epic Studios in the fine city of Norwich. We were treated to Pessimist from Ipswich, Columbus from Australia, Like Pacific from Canada, and of course, ROAM from England. Crammed into a small area of the room, sectioned off just for us, there is no doubt that tonight was going to feel pretty intimate and special.
To initiate the night’s proceedings was the very first live performance from Ipswich’s Pessimist; let’s be pretty honest here, they did extremely well for a first-time gig. If they hadn’t mentioned it, we probably wouldn’t have noticed. Sure, there were some slight issues with the vocals, but that can all be looked over when you can see how much the band were getting into it and how decent their instruments sounded.
Nothing could have established the pop punk vibe of the evening more than seeing those dudes wander around the audience dishing out their music for free on a blank CD in a paper wallet. I even had the honour of receiving a copy myself. It must’ve been massively nerve-racking, but they did themselves proud.
Next up was the three-piece Columbus from Brisbane, Australia, and they instantly seized the attention of the audience, commanding us to take five big steps forward as we paid money to be there, and they certainly paid lots of money on plane tickets to be there also. No matter how laid back and relaxed you want your Tuesday evening to go, you’ve got to love it when a band insist on your involvement and attention.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I wouldn’t put these guys anywhere above twenty on the age-rating, which only added to how special getting to see them felt. To be able to see a band that has travelled all the way from down under in your own home city made me feel extremely humble towards the pop-punk scene. Even though they’re from the other side of the planet, we still all had the music in common. I am to believe this is also their first show in England, so it made the whole thing even crazier.
Regarding their performance, it became pretty clear that this is where people started to get really interested, as the vocals were fierce, the drumming was tough, and the guitar tones were sharp. Judging by the crowd reaction, a lot of people were already aware of Columbus and were huge fans of their music, but there’s no denying they must have made new fans that night as there was nothing to dislike about them. If you’re into pop punk and songs of sentimental content, then this band will tick all the boxes for you.
Afterwards, we were taken across the pond to Canada with Like Pacific, and this is where the crowd interaction started to move up a gear, if only ever so slightly. This was also their first time in this country, and if there’s anything for them to take away from England, it’s that they definitely, definitely like Greggs. Despite the stage being pretty small, the whole band still managed to get into their music, jumping, spinning and moving as much as they possibly could – the kind of energy which translated over to the audience and encouraged some movement here and there. Like Pacific also benefited from having that extra guitar player, as it made their sound denser and broader in comparison to the two previous bands. They also took the tougher approach to the pop punk genre, maintaining the motto of “stay pissed” and most of their songs being about pieces of shit they unfortunately knew back home – the kind of pop punk I’m sure we can all relate to. They were simultaneously angsty and extremely humble to have come all this way to play songs that they probably wrote in their bedrooms, and I was fully on board. Like Pacific slammed through their set list, leaving our ears ringing and our brows a bit sweaty, ready and raring to go with ROAM.
Lastly, we came to ROAM, and it was very evident that this is what people came for. Only on their second visit to Norwich, ROAM previously featured on the Kerrang! Tour line-up, so this time they were eager to play much more than four or five songs. Slamming through their set list, they cherry-picked the best tracks from their oldest and newest releases. Teenage fangirls clung to the front of the stage, 6ft men and everyone else in between wrestled for their position in the middle, and it descended into a free-for-all every time lead singer Alex Costello pointed his mic towards the audience. Despite having full bellies from our nearby Brew Dog, ROAM didn’t once show any signs of holding up, again, cramming as much movement as they could in such a small room on an even smaller stage. Both Costello and guitarist Alex James Adam complement each other with their fiercer and more delicate vocal tones against the backdrop of the thumping pop punk. ROAM lean closer towards bands like Neck Deep whilst holding the tougher edge of A Day To Remember, and at times, they even took me back to the sounds of Your Demise. Every song they performed has the legs to compete with the aforementioned contemporaries
ROAM even tried their hand at a Green Day cover, doing their own rendition of ‘Basket Case’. A tall order for any band, but ROAM intelligently applied their very own sound and style to the chords and lyrics of the pop-punk classic. A reflective moment; we saw what pop punk once was, and we had the pleasure of seeing what it has become more recently. Although it didn’t quite strike the right chord with me, it seemed everyone else was fully on board with it, and ROAM maintained and matched the young and frenetic energy of early Green Day. Sometimes heavyweight classics such as ‘Basket Case’ should either be left entirely alone or celebrated and copied sound-for-sound, but I’ve got to hand it to ROAM for pushing themselves and aiming high.
Nearing the end of their setlist, ROAM played their much-loved acoustic song ‘Tracks’, and everyone got their phone torches out and swayed to the good vibes. Kids were climbing on their friend’s shoulders, pals were embracing one another, and pop punk warmed all of our hearts.
We only have Upsurge and all the bands involved to thank for a pretty special night.
Words – Chris Hambling
Photography – Kayleigh Warren
