We arrived at Electric with little to no queue at the door, as we walked in we saw why! The venue inside was packed all the way to the bar, with the audience enthralled by the heavy energetic riffs of Hitmen, a new British band who have toured across the UK playing loud energetic pop-punk reminiscent of the greats like Dinosaur Jr, Pavement and Built to Spill. Unfortunately we arrived a little late.
Prior to this gig my only experience of their music was from a dear friend showing me their new singles ‘Early Riser’ and crucially ‘Three Drains’, my favourite song by the band. Since Joyce Manor had not advertised who was opening widely, this was a great surprise, and I was gutted to have missed the start. Having played many a large gig before, including at Outbreak festival and alongside the likes of ‘Show Me The Body’, the hardcore giants hailing from America; they certainly knew how to put on a great performance to get the crowd warmed up. It will be interesting to see what becomes of this band. They are definitely one to keep an eye out on as they find their footing.
By the time Joyce Manor came on, I had managed to make my way near the front. They opened with an explosion of sound thanking the crowd for coming, Bristol being the first stop on their UK and Ireland tour in support of their new album I Used To Go to This bar. The band, formed in California, have been consistently putting out some of the best modern punk-rock since their formation in 2008. The core members of the band are Barry Johnson (lead vocals and guitar); Chase Knobbe (guitar) and Matt Ebert (backing vocals and bass guitar). My personal experience with them started in 2016 when I first heard their most famous song, ‘Constant Headache’. As an angsty, moody teen this truly resonated deeply with me and made the band an instant favourite as I dove into their catalogue. Infact, this was not my first time seeing the band, after I saw them nearly a whole year ago last October, where they played a at the Prospect Building along with fellow bands from the same scene such as The Hotelier, Tigers Jaw, Ways Away and Oso Oso. Needless to say, I was excited for this evening’s performance.
They opened with the classic, ‘Beach Community’ a track from their angst filled S/T album, the signature droning and shouting of Barry Johnson instantly filling me with energy and starting the crowd in a raucous sing-along. From this point on they played a mix of their classic hits and their best from the new album including “I Know Where Mark Chen Lives” and “I Used To Go To This Bar”. Moshers were having it large with every song creating a sweaty electric energy throughout the building. Their set list was curated perfectly, cherry-picking the best songs from every single one of their albums. This was perfect, as although the new album is wonderful, each album has a specific sound, likely due to the band’s history of having a new drummer as a part of each album cycle. It was wonderful to see the new drummer, Jared Shavleson, master the songs written by the drummers who came before.
They played for over an hour and a half with no stops as Barry jumped about like a madman, even leaning over the crowd with his mic causing his audience to climb over each other to belt out the lyrics. Overall, this was a phenomenal gig from the guys at Joyce Manor once again, displaying their ability to keep their music feeling fresh and alive even after six studio albums and over a decade of playing together. Electric certainly curated a great night, and most certainly made many fans’ night. Although their album dropped in January, they are certainly showcasing why this album is still being talked about with this sold-out show. In my eyes they truly are one of the most important faces in modern rock.
Callum Preston
