New Found Glory (Electric Ballroom, 7.10.17)

I returned to London town for the third instalment of this thrilling four part series. As I did last night, I only caught about 15 minutes of Roam, but they seemed to benefit from the smaller surroundings of the Electric Ballroom. I will endeavour to watch their whole set at the Underworld tomorrow.

New Found Glory race out of the blocks with a flawless song selection. "Don't Let Her Pull You Down" seems to send the entire room surging forward, it's "It's time that I rain on your parade" refrain still brilliant fun to sing along to. Add the huge riffed "At Least I'm Known For Something" and "Please Don't Let This Be The End" into the mix and we're off to a flier. They played "Not Without A Fight" and "Catalyst" tonight, two of the band's heavier records that compliment each other well in a live setting. A sweaty club like the Electric Ballroom proves to be the perfect location for them too. All I can say is thank God it wasn't at Koko.

Not Without A Fight is the band's most underrated record for me and it's terrific to hear it all tonight. "Tangled Up" is a punchy enough pop-punk track to warrant a more frequent rotation in their live shows, while they close tonight's main set with "Listen To Your Friends", a song I like so much I once listened to it for an entire hour straight on its original release. Some of the Catalyst offerings hit harder in a smaller room than they did at the Forum a couple of weeks ago. "Over The Head Below The Knees" and "Doubt Full" are scarcely live staples but sound better here, whilst the giant synth of "Failure's Not Flattering" is always a cue for some joyous flailing.

A debut live outing for calypso influenced "The Sound Of Two Voices" proves an unexpected delight too. Tonight was as good as any of the band's performances in recent years if not better. It may be all downhill from here. But we're still having fun along the way.


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