Robyn Writes

Octane OK – O2 Academy Birmingham 2, 1/11/11

It’s safe to say that Octane OK are moving along at a positively astronomical rate. It was just over a year ago that we saw them open for Kill Hannah in the very same room that they played in last night, and here they are with a headline slot. The ‘So Alive’ tour is their biggest one yet, with several dates sold out all over the country. But here’s the question – are Octane OK worth all the hype?

After a guest list debacle and some new found friends, we found ourselves halfway through Escaping Vendetta‘s set. The highlight of their set was a fantastic cover of Rihanna’s ‘S&M’, but sadly, their own material was lacking. It’s not like either component – the vocals and the music – are bad, as proven by the cover. However, they’re not writing songs that compliment each other and as a result, their current output is a bit like a mediocre car crash, the sort that entails a light bump to the wing mirror – just not worth the hassle.

Following them were Nine Day Lane. While the band showed a hell of a lot of potential, it was clear that they needed a lot more practise. However, I guess a few more support slots in a venue like that will give them the perfect opportunity! In particular, their vocalist slipped a fair bit with his guitar – transitions weren’t as smooth as they should have been, breakdowns weren’t as tight as they could have been, but I think a fair amount of that was attributed to playing and singing at the same time. It’s certainly something I struggle with at times. I’d like to see them again in a few months and see if they’ve tightened up a bit, as their big sounding pop-punk anthems could be potentially very awesome.

No Lights At Lockdown looked like they’d had a Topshop spending spree this weekend. The band looked far more like a boyband than a credible rock band. Nearly every band tonight was firmly rooted in sweeping pop-punk tunes and No Lights At Lockdown were no different. However, No Lights At Lockdown were a bit tepid in comparison. The band are very well practised, but there’s no depth to it. So maybe the boyband comparison is more relevant than first impressions dictate. While there was technically nothing wrong with what they were doing, it wasn’t quite up to par with their tourmates’ output. Nothing really stood out in their set. Nice background music, though. Maybe it’d work well on a British teen soap or something.

Dublin’s very own Jody Has A Hitlist were the proverbial breath of fresh air tonight. From their highly tongue in cheek merchandise to their on stage nipple banter, they weren’t playing by the rules and it’s bloody wonderful to see. Despite being beleaguered with keyboard issues (ie the levels were horrendous and we heard no keys until the last three songs), they sounded fantastic. While most of the acts last night were very saccharine, very upbeat, Jody Has A Hitlist occasionally take a darker turn, with some great breakdowns and collaborative vocals. One of Lava’s favourites in the brief time the channel was running, Jody Has A Hitlist are going to go far. Just keep watching.

And finally, after a mammoth support roster, Octane OK themselves took to the stage. It’s very clear that they are no longer the same band that tentatively stepped onto the Academy stage all those months ago. The songs are tighter, without losing their incredibly catchy edge. The performance is more energetic and far more interactive, now that they have such a dedicated fan base. The entire band effortlessly ooze rockstar cool, even though there’s far less v-necks on display this time around. It’s also clear to see that the band have worked incredibly hard to get to where they are and to perfect their performance – everything went off without a hitch, and while that was the case last year, they looked so much more in command. And they’re a lot of fun! Octane OK’s particular brand of pop-punk works so well live; it gets people off their feet and having a great time. The new electronic touches add a layer of depth to the music that weren’t there, and although it’s hardly Year Zero, it’s definitely an interesting addition. Octane OK were nominated for the Kerrang! Best British Newcomer award this year, and although they lost out in the end, tonight’s show proves that they are definitely worthy of that title. And I never liked Asking Alexandria anyway.

workworkworkwork

Yo!

I’ve had the craziest week. But I’m editing videos, writing reviews and they’re gonna be up this weekend. Sweet.

xoxo – Ripper

Ripper gets new camera, talks about albums and stuff.

I made a little video to test the new camera I got.

Broken bones and broken tours – what are these guys up to?

Right now, the UK is sitting in uncertainty over their tour dates. Andy Biersack from Black Veil Brides broke his nose, so Kitteh’s virtually dying inside to see if they’ll finish off their UK tour (not for BVB you understand… My Passion is her passion). Matt Skiba broke his foot last night, so unless he can get a walking cast, the Alkaline Trio UK tour may not be going underway. The atmosphere in our house is unbelievably tense as we await news bulletins, tweets and Facebook statuses. Tours usually get rescheduled, so we might be overreacting. But these are some of our favourite bands that we’re waiting on – in the case of Alkaline Trio, it’s been over a year since their last UK appearance.

So, should dudes in bands start pulling off dangerous stunts while on tour or just before?

My answer is… yes! Of course they should! In the case of Andy from BVB, he gained his injury on stage, presumably doing what he does best. Skiba was out riding his motorbike when a truck got too close at a traffic light and ran over his foot, leaving both the foot and his ankle pretty badly broken. Part of why we love bands so much is not necessarily for the music – it’s for the personalities behind the music. Without their stage antics, or their constant Twitter updates containing information about all the stupid stuff they’ve been doing lately, would we love them just as much?

The same counts for lesser disasters too. Kitteh recently got bashed in the head by Laurence Rene’s mic at a My Passion gig and ended up with whiplash. She didn’t complain about it, she carried on going mental. When Max Bemis lost his voice at a Say Anything tour (possibly the last date they played in Birmingham actually… Guys, get back over here!), we didn’t stress and neither did he. He picked up an acoustic guitar, sent the band off stage, carried on and had us sing half of the songs. Although those last two examples are barely exploits of rebellion and daring-do, we are prepared to carry on, they are prepared to carry on and if they can’t, shit gets rescheduled. Kitteh comes from a different position – she is pretty upset that she might not be able to see My Passion due to someone else’s mistake. But without that reputation, would My Passion be touring with them in the first place? Probably not.

In times like these, all we can do is wish them the best, hold on to our tickets and play some tunes. And if tours go ahead, we can be safe in the knowledge that we will have one pretty interesting night ahead of us. That Say Anything show, despite being cut short, was one of the greatest nights ever – I made some good friends, Max brought some classics out we may otherwise not have heard and I can say that I’ve seen a performance nobody else has. If tours don’t go ahead… well, it’s not like I have a quiet winter without one show.

We Are Fiction – Prince of Wales Leamington Spa, 14/10/11

The Prince of Wales in Leamington is a charming “pub lounge” at the end of Warwick Street. It’s got kooky decorations (including a very weird lampshade with naked Barbies attached to it), comfortable and stylish seating and a nice little conservatory space at the back. This space regularly gets overtaken with rowdy bands. Tonight was We Are Fiction’s turn.

Rewards and Revenge were support for this show. They were alright. Well, okay, they were more than alright, but they were also pretty much just a covers band. If they had any of their own songs, they blended so much into the covers material that they were doing that it was just unnoticeable. There were indeed a lot of fun covers – a bit of Blitzkrieg Bop, I Fought The Law and Kick Out The Jams went down very well – but ultimately, they borrowed too much of the 70s and 80s and didn’t bring their own twist to it. However, they were perfectly accomplished with a clear talent for performing. Perhaps in time, they’ll come to find their own sound and no doubt when they do, it’ll be pretty impressive.

We Are Fiction… oh my. At the beginning of the set, vocalist Phil warned everyone to keep back because they like to move and my gosh, do they. The band have so much energy and were thrashing about on the floor and jumping off unstable sideboards like there was no tomorrow. They played an average length set – about 40 minutes – but looked as if they could have played all night, which is actually awesome because it’s great to see a band really loving what they do. They played a mixture of old and new songs (which were thankfully described in the right way – although I have listened to the band before and enjoyed them on record, I’m not totally up to date with it all) which went down well. Finishing on old favourite Sail On was a great move as the crowd had microphones shoved in their face and Chris tried to sing in tune. Bless. The dynamics between members were fantastic – the dual vocalist approach that everyone’s after these days has been perfected in We Are Fiction, with Phil’s rasping scream being perfectly countered by Marc’s impassioned clean vocals. The band are really together, no doubt aided by Tom’s incredible drumming; dubstep beats? No problem. But most importantly, We Are Fiction are so much fun – they banter, they throw themselves into each other while remaining perfectly on task and they rule. Simple as.

The US has its own particular brand of post-hardcore coming out at the moment, with bands such as letlive., Touche Amore and Tiger’s Jaw all contributing to “The Wave”. Britain certainly has its rival wave, in bands like Deaf Havana, Lower Than Atlantis and of course, We Are Fiction. It’s difficult to determine whether we or our American friends have the better scene at the moment, but at the very least, We Are Fiction are at the forefront of ours and they deserve all the accolades you can throw at them. That was probably one of the best performances I’ve seen all year. Make sure you don’t miss them when they hit up your town.