Last night was a first for me: I’ve never been to a gig at Nottingham’s Rock City, and I really enjoyed myself. It’s a really nice venue and so well laid out too: even stood at the back next to the sound pit, I still had a perfect view of the stage thanks to the step down in front of us. My poor old camera isn’t really suited to taking pictures at gigs, but here are the best pictures I took last night:
First up on the line-up was Volumes, and unfortunately due to having to queue for the box office we missed most of their set. I thought it was a bit strange that they started playing so early, as doors opened at 6:30 p.m. and their set was finished by about 7:10 p.m., but maybe there was an early curfew last night. Their performance was pretty good, even if their vocals aren’t to my taste. I haven’t seen a crowd as excited for support acts as they were for Volumes and The Amity Affliction, who came next. Here’s Wormholes, one of the better tracks they played last night.
Next was The Amity Affliction, who put on an awesome show. Their performance was spot-on and they also got the crowd extremely excited. I especially like the mixture of Ahren and Joel’s vocals, plus drummer Ryan was on point and enthusiastic throughout the set. This is Don’t Lean On Me, the track they closed their set with.
Then Of Mice & Men took to the stage. I was more excited to see them than usual, considering this will be my third time watching the Orange County quintet perform live. They’re now the band I’ve seen live more than any other, and Of Mice & Men definitely deserve that honour.
This was the first time I’ve seen them headline a gig: the past two times I saw them live, they played at Leeds Festival and in support of Linkin Park at the O2. You could definitely tell that it was their headline tour, because the entire band was full of swagger and attitude walking on stage.
As per usual, their performance was fantastic. Their setlist had a good mixture of songs from not only their latest album and its re-issue, Restoring Force and Restoring Force: Full Circle, but from their first two albums as well. I was really excited that they played O.G. Loko, Let Live and Second & Sebring, as well as including The Depths in the encore. It was clear to see how excited Of Mice & Men were to be on stage, and the crowd responded with boundless excitement.
Aaron’s vocals were a little wobbly at points, which is something I’ve noticed every time we’ve seen him perform live. This didn’t detract from the overall performance, but the night would have been improved if he didn’t have to battle quite so hard to be heard over the guitars, drums, and Austin’s vocals. As it turns out, the crowd were singing on loudly enough to make up for Aaron’s lack of volume.
It’s a shame that Of Mice & Men probably won’t be returning to UK shores until next year, as I would love to see them live again. It was obvious that the band really enjoyed their performance last night. Every time I listen to Restoring Force I’ll think of last night’s gig – it was unforgettable.
Currently listening to: Hit The Wave – Marmozets
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