New Found Glory (Underworld, 8.10.17)
The final leg of New Found Glory's "Twenty Years Of Pop Punk" UK tour took place at the Underworld in Camden last night. I caught Roam's set in its entirety and they pretty much confirmed what I thought about them a fortnight ago, that their spiky riffed tunes have got potential even if they're yet to mark out their own identity as a band. A 500 capacity sweatbox like the Underworld is a more suitable venue for them though. Their new record comes out on Friday and I'll be giving it a listen on Spotify.
New Found Glory return with their debut full length "Nothing Gold Can Stay" and their fifth record "Coming Home", which was something of a pop-rock record and a departure for the band up to that point. The album's big singles "It's Not Your Fault" and the title track are despatched a little too early in the set for my liking but the former in particular is a great pop song, so much so that One Direction borrowed its piano part. Allegedly.
Nothing Gold Can Stay is seldom covered in the band's live sets, so tonight is a particular treat. "The Goodbye Song" proves terrific fun live as does "Never Sometimes". I've been waiting over a decade to hear "3rd and Long" in a New Found Glory live show and it was worth the wait. It's also been an age since a crowd has bellowed the "Stupid games are for stupid people" lyric from "2s and 3s" and it's a lovely moment.
On the Coming Home front, "Connected" has a brilliant guitar riff and the crowd rightly go nuts for it, whilst the undeniably maudlin "When I Die" proves an unlikely highlight. It's also terrific to hear "Boulders", the record closer which is like no other song the band have written, an epic that feels more Coldplay than New Found Glory. "Too Good To Be" is a sort of campfire singalong that sees the long suffering drummer Cyrus Bolooki take to the acoustic guitar, with bassist Ian Grushka on the triangle. It's an enjoyable interlude. I'd never really thought about it but I suppose one has to agree with Chad Gilbert's assertion that these 27 song sets are hardest on the drummer. So kudos to Cyrus who remains the band's unsung hero.
As I expected, the band threw in "My Friends Over You" for the third time in four London outings to close the show. The crowd surge forward and I surge with them. I'm throwing myself around and singing myself hoarse like I'm 16 years old again. A man offers to help me crowd surf, a kindness but frankly, a Herculean task at this point in my life. I end up in the second row, inches from the band. I can't remember the last time I so completely lost myself in a moment and it feels wonderful.
I've wanted to see these shows since the concept of the "album show" was popularised and they've not only met but exceeded my expectations. I've loved every minute of this weekend and I'm delighted to confirm that pop punk's not dead.
New Found Glory return with their debut full length "Nothing Gold Can Stay" and their fifth record "Coming Home", which was something of a pop-rock record and a departure for the band up to that point. The album's big singles "It's Not Your Fault" and the title track are despatched a little too early in the set for my liking but the former in particular is a great pop song, so much so that One Direction borrowed its piano part. Allegedly.
Nothing Gold Can Stay is seldom covered in the band's live sets, so tonight is a particular treat. "The Goodbye Song" proves terrific fun live as does "Never Sometimes". I've been waiting over a decade to hear "3rd and Long" in a New Found Glory live show and it was worth the wait. It's also been an age since a crowd has bellowed the "Stupid games are for stupid people" lyric from "2s and 3s" and it's a lovely moment.
On the Coming Home front, "Connected" has a brilliant guitar riff and the crowd rightly go nuts for it, whilst the undeniably maudlin "When I Die" proves an unlikely highlight. It's also terrific to hear "Boulders", the record closer which is like no other song the band have written, an epic that feels more Coldplay than New Found Glory. "Too Good To Be" is a sort of campfire singalong that sees the long suffering drummer Cyrus Bolooki take to the acoustic guitar, with bassist Ian Grushka on the triangle. It's an enjoyable interlude. I'd never really thought about it but I suppose one has to agree with Chad Gilbert's assertion that these 27 song sets are hardest on the drummer. So kudos to Cyrus who remains the band's unsung hero.
As I expected, the band threw in "My Friends Over You" for the third time in four London outings to close the show. The crowd surge forward and I surge with them. I'm throwing myself around and singing myself hoarse like I'm 16 years old again. A man offers to help me crowd surf, a kindness but frankly, a Herculean task at this point in my life. I end up in the second row, inches from the band. I can't remember the last time I so completely lost myself in a moment and it feels wonderful.
I've wanted to see these shows since the concept of the "album show" was popularised and they've not only met but exceeded my expectations. I've loved every minute of this weekend and I'm delighted to confirm that pop punk's not dead.
Comments
Post a Comment