Review: Memphis May Fire, KOKO London

Anyone who follows me on Twitter or who’s read this blog will know how obsessed I am with Memphis May Fire at the moment.  I reviewed their latest album, Unconditional, about a month after I picked up tickets to see them play at London’s KOKO, and all that did was fuel my excitement even further.

Before the gig I headed to Drop Dead, as the band were holding a signing.  Unfortunately I don’t have any photographs of the signing itself, but check out the Challenger booklet the band signed for me!  They were lovely guys too; if you ever get the opportunity to meet the band, then please take it.

Of course Matty signed his name right over the album artwork. Of course.

I may have queued for an hour and a half to get into the signing, but it was so worth it.

After the signing I ate some dinner and then headed to Camden.  The issue with this was that I ended up at the back of the queue, meaning by the time we got into the venue the opening act, Cytota, was already nearly finished.  I wasn’t too sad about that, though; from what I heard, I didn’t rate them very highly.

The next support act was FACT, and to be honest, I’m not sure what to think about these guys.  I could hardly hear the vocals and lyrics over the music, which could have been down to mixing issues, but either way it made the set difficult to enjoy.

Then came The Word Alive.  I really enjoyed these guys.  They had a lot of energy, and their sound is right up my street.  I’ll definitely be buying their next album, Real, out in September.

And then, Memphis May Fire took to the stage.  These guys were absolutely awesome.  Matty’s vocals were clean, and the band’s overall performance was polished and well-rehearsed.

Their best songs were probably Be Careful What You Wish For, The Rose and Prove Me Right; the entire crowd was jumping and full of energy.

My highlight of the night, however, was their performance of Miles Away.  Matty’s vocals were enchanting, and when the entire crowd joined together to sing Kellin Quinn’s section the atmosphere was amazing.

Their encore of Prove Me Right and Legacy was the perfect way to end the night on a high note.  I had high expectations for this gig, and I definitely wasn’t disappointed.

Currently listening to: Alive In The Lights – Memphis May Fire

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Review: Unconditional

Photo Credit: Derrick Austinson Photog via Compfight cc

My favourite Texan metalcore band – Memphis May Fire – dropped their latest album Unconditional yesterday and, to be honest, I was already in love with it halfway into the first track, No Ordinary Love.

Anyone who follows me on Twitter will know that I’ve been excited for this album for a long time.  MMF’s previous album, Challenger, is up there as one of my favourite albums to ever album.  It had plenty of commercial success too, entering the Billboard Charts at number 16, and if Unconditional isn’t just as successful I’ll probably get angry and start punching things.

In this interview, the band said their next album would be more mature, and I have to say, I think they’ve pulled it off.  Whilst every song is laced with the pure passion and talent synonymous with MMF, lyrically this album is far more mature.

Whilst Memphis May Fire have retained their signature sound, they’ve really refined it into a more polished package.  I definitely can’t wait to see them play London KOKO in April now, as if I wasn’t already ridiculously excited.

This album has been highly anticipated for months now, and to anyone who thought Unconditional was over-hyped?  You’re so, so wrong.

Highlights of the album: No Ordinary Love, Possibilities, The Rose