A packed out Wembley Arena witnessed 48 songs of emo, pop punk and metalcore greatness on Friday night (27th January). Thousands on people turned up on the night as two British bands and two American bands produced one of the best shows Wembley Arena would of witnessed. First up was Canterbury emo band Moose Blood who once again killed their set like they every single time. Lead singer Eddy Brewerton and the band began with the up beat Honey from their latest album Blush. Another from the album, Glow, was then performed before they played an older song from their debut album I’ll Keep You in Mind, From Time to Time which was Boston. Classics Swim Down, Gum and Bukowski were performed with excellence. Moose Blood ended on a newer single Knuckles which was a perfect way to end their set – they’ve come a long way since playing at the likes of 200 people at Southampton’s Joiners.
Welsh band Neck Deep then flew the flag for pop punk and started with Gold Steps, the lead single from their latest album Life’s Not Out To Get You. Lead singer Ben Barlow really grasped at the chance of performing some of Neck Deep’s catchy songs. Lime St. and then Barlow teased right at the end of Kali Ma. The lead singer claimed that A Day To Remember’s Jeremy McKinnon was going to join him on stage like they do on the single however he was a no show. With Serpents and Rock Bottom following, it took a while before an older song was played and that song was worth the wait. A Part of Me got everyone with phones and lighters out try and create a magical moment and it certainly lived up to expectations. December and Can’t Kick Up The Roots then finished off the night for Neck Deep as the up and coming band are certainly making a name for themselves.
From new pop punk to old, American band New Found Glory took to the stage as they celebrated 20 years of pop punk. Lead singer Jordan Pundik and the band really showed why they have been successful for so long. They started off the night with their classic All Downhill From Here which really got fans in the mood and already created a good vibe with their music. Songs such as Selfless and Hold My Hand then followed as pop punk fans got exactly what they wanted. New Found Glory also played their Sixpence None The Richer cover Kiss Me which was a real treat to witness. Vicious Love and My Friends Over You really turned back the years as the Florida band proved pop punk is well and truly alive as fans were about to listen to something a bit more heavier.
Last up was Florida band A Day To Remember who have been headlining this massive tour titled ‘Bad Vibes World Tour’ to go with with their latest album Bad Vibrations. McKinnon, Neil Westfall, Joshua Woodard, Alex Shelnutt and Kevin Skaff all put on one hell of a show. They started off with Me Highway’s Thinking About The End from their Homesick album which was a perfect way to start off the show with very heavy element to it. One of the band;s latest singles Paranoia was then performed which totally brought the house down and suddenly mosh pits were breaking out everywhere. 2nd Sucks just created mayhem and a whole host of songs from their previous albums followed.
Fast Forward to 2012 was a personal favourite of mine so it was awesome to see the band play it live from the For Those Who Have Heart album which turned ten years just five days before the gig. Songs from the new album included the title song Bad Vibrations, Jutified, Exposed and pop punk song Naivity however for me it was about their older songs. The encore in particular was amazing with the beautiful If It Means A Lot To You and The Downfall of us All that just gave you goosebumps. A Day To Remember certainly proved they are still some of the best entertainers in the world of rock and overall put on an amazing show!