So a few months ago I saw Moose Blood supporting Mallory Knox here and I said "I know that it wasn't their own headline slot (which I feel they would be ten times better in) but I still wanted to see a bit more energy." Well, I did manage to get a ticket to their headline show so let's see if my prediction about them being ten times better was correct...

First up supporting was Boston Manor. I'm pretty sure that I hadn't heard of them before this show but I can't see why not because they were awesome. They actually reminded me quite a bit of The Story So Far, which is probably part of why I liked them so much but either way, they were great. The sound levels were off but this didn't seem to phase them, they had good stage presence and carried the set really well, I just wish it was a bit longer! I definitely need to keep my eye on them and if you haven't already listened, I'd advise checking them out.

Next up, another name that I hadn't really heard anything of before - Choir Vandals. They had a slightly more indie rock sound about them which I wasn't expecting. The song that they opened up with was awesome!! Everything that followed was fine, but compared to the opening, nothing caught my attention as much. They played through their set pretty quickly not pausing for too long to interact with the crowd or even welcome applause but they did manage to pack a lot in so this was forgivable. Overall, they were cool, a slight come-down from the high energy of Boston Manor's set but enjoyable nonetheless.

And finally, Moose Blood. Oh. My. Goodness. I know that I said "ten times better" but I don't think that I was ready for what that really meant. I was actually worried before the set started because in the weeks leading up to the show I'd been listening through their record I'll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time and it is incredible. I was worried that they wouldn't be able to do it justice live. They did. The crowd was with them 100% from start to finish - requesting their favourites from the record throughout the set, singing the lyrics along with Eddy, crowd surfing and moshing in the tiny <200 capacity room - spirits were just elevated. They opened up with "Pups" and after the initial response the band actually seemed a little shocked at the level of enthusiasm, and it didn't falter. "Chin Up", "Swim Down" and "Bukowski" drew a huge crowd response. When they played my current favourite from the record "Gum", I couldn't stop a huge smile from spreading across my face and this stayed there as lighters were lifted during "Cherry". Their confidence levels seemed much higher than when I saw them supporting, and rightly so - absolutely fantastic band. It appears that No Sleep Records can do no wrong. Now just waiting for Balance And Composure to come to Birmingham...........

Overall Rating - 8/10


Here are some pictures from the night... 

Yet again, I'm a latecomer to the show. I'd actually had a song by Balance And Composure saved on my "Watch Later" list on YouTube for a good few months and it wasn't until last week when I actually decided to go through the list that I stumbled across this awesome song...

BALANCE AND COMPOSURE - Lost Your Name

After I heard this track I had to listen to the whole album pretty much straight away. The song was just wedged in my head for ages, as soon as it was over. I'm always excited when new pop punk/rock band/artist enters my life (especially when it's this good) and I tend to overplay it a bit but luckily with this band I had two albums to play through and a few EPs. Now that I've listened through all of their stuff at least once, I can say with the most confidence, that this is a band that you need to check out if you're into pop punk/rock, even if you're not! Even if you're just interested in music, definitely give them a listen. Hats off to No Sleep Records for coming out with awesome artists like The Swellers, La Dispute, The Wonder Years and of course Balance And Composure.