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Live Review: Hawthorne Heights at The Asylum, Birmingham

Hawthorne Heights

Giant Steps

It’s a tough gig my friends, traversing the UK and further afield, plying your trade, and it is not for the faint-hearted. It is an experience that is fraught and full of risks, far away from family and friends, sleeping and eating wherever it is provided, but if successful then the benefits are truly exhilarating.

Decay

Tonight, we have two new bands who are finding their feet in this grand arena, first up are Decay, the warm and fuzzy Scousers are industrious in their efforts and innocuous in their outlook. With their laid-back, easy on the ears Indie vibes, chilled yet impassioned they slink across the small stage and at one point the singer, Danny Reposar, mis-times a high kick and ends up arse over tit under the guitarist, however he bounces straight back up and continues sharing tunes from their debut EP  ‘Modern Conversation’. It is another helping of the sorry state of affairs that we are all subject to and how we try to navigate an escape from the madness. They have a mellowness that is accentuated by rigorous guitars and drums to create an approachable and likeable product. The painful ‘I’ve been crying almost every day’ is the truth buried amongst the façade that we present. There is an honesty that reflects personal struggles and therefore triggers a perceptiveness and understanding of situations. Grassroots music and venues need support to flourish and prosper, it is imperative to get behind these bands to maintain a vibrant and lasting British music scene. Well done lads.

Like Giants

Up next it’s Midlands band Like Giants who are here to promote their EP ‘Sovereign’ and they remind me of The Fallen State with their onstage presence and whizzing around at high speed- well at speeds that the stage would allow. An ode to their home in ‘This Town’ has us jumping around, whether good or bad it is something relatable. We are invited to hurl abuse at an ex- girlfriend with a rousing ‘fuck you Juliet’ and then ‘The Poet’ makes an appearance. For a fledgling band they have an awareness of the road ahead but are extremely good-natured and warm in their attitude. For the finale ‘Cut And Run’ Conor from Cabin Boy Jumped Ship joins the party and adds his vocal weight to a hugely enjoyable opening to this evening’s main event.

Not having heard from either of these artists  before I wish them well on their onward journey and hope to hear more from them. 

Look out ladies and gents, there might be giants!

Dizzying Heights!

My friends if you recall the glory days of emo, you would be in your element tonight, Ohio heroes Hawthorne Heights are gracing the stage for a fun-packed rollicking ride. It is the fifteenth anniversary of the glorious ‘The Silence In Black And White’ and we are treated to as many blinders from this record as possible. Singer J T Woodruff thanked us for our attendance and appreciation for their art, these guys handed out gem after gem and we ate them up like crazy.

Hawthorne Heights

Of course, for me it was ‘Niki FM’ and ‘Silver Bullet’ that stole the show but really you couldn’t escape the sheer brilliance and artistry involved. 

I do miss the emo haircuts though, it would have been nice to see that floppy fringe in action, but on we go as ‘Blue Turns Orange’ and I’m looking for ‘Where to Stab Myself In The Ears’ we are reminded of ‘The Transition’ from A Day In The Life to HH as we know them.

It is an emo eargasm folks, oh my word, I cannot believe how much fun we are all having, singing at the top of our emo lungs and our arms extending to inhuman lengths as we reach out to the band. They feel our love and adoration and reciprocate with more stunners. I mean ‘Saying Sorry’ and ‘Pens And Needles’ were even thrown into the mix. As water fills my open eyes, tonight we fly ladies as gents in our emo screamo way. Hurl out the rescue flare to light up the darkness and banish the sadness, it may feel better to remain introverted but there is a relief when we jettison the unwanted and the toxic.

HH cannot write a bad song – it’s not in their make-up, for all the emo, pop punk fanatics, tonight was in your honour. The band tell us how they have no crew with them to cut costs and to hopefully earn enough money to come back soon. 

I am so glad I didn’t miss this because sad songs say so much.


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