On a freezing cold December evening, myself and hundreds more packed into London’s famous Electric Ballroom for the long-awaited return of a Silverstein headline show, which promised to deliver a nostalgic resurgence of that heavy emo sound we all know and love.
Silverstein – Comeback Kid – Senses Fail – Koyo
Electric Ballroom, Camden – 11 December 2022
Words and Photography: Lawrence Potter
Silverstein
This was the second night of a mini tour, the first being in Birmingham, but following the release of the band’s eleventh studio album, Misery Made Me, and the fantastic reception thus far, everyone was left hoping the group cross the pond again in the near future.
At around 9 pm, Silverstein entered the stage and would close out an incredible evening of pop punk, emo and hardcore music to send the fans home buzzing.
Straight out of the gates, Silverstein launched into Infinite and once again, the crowd were going nuts. It had been a long time coming to see the band on a headline show in the UK again, and on Sunday night, the crowd was not taking it for granted. The last time I had the privilege of seeing these guys was way back in 2007 in Colchester.
About halfway through their set, lead vocalist Shane Told told the crowd about his appreciation for fans who have stuck by the band after all these years. Unfortunately, a lot of bands will fall into obscurity as time passes, but even after all this time, Silverstein are still releasing quality material and tonight proves it is not going unnoticed.
Silverstein delivered a diverse set, performing some of their brand-new tracks, including The Altar/Mary, Die Alone (joined by Andrew Neufeld) and It’s Over, as well as playing our old favourites such as Smashed Into Pieces and Your Sword Versus My Dagger.
The band went off stage briefly before the encore but the sea of stage divers were still coming in. This night was no walk in the park for security, I can tell you. Once the group returned to the stage, they played the song My Heroin to the crowd’s delight and ended on The Afterglow to close the curtains.
Comeback Kid
After a brief intermission to get our breaths back from Senses Fail, it was time for Canadian hardcore punk legends Comeback Kid. The band stormed the stage, and the crowd surfers were coming in thick and fast.
The energy in the building was vamped up even more, and the crowd were going absolutely crazy. At around this time, I believe the majority of crowd members who were outside smoking were forced to venture back in as it d decided to snow.
It may be cold outside, but it certainly was not inside The Electric Ballroom. Comeback kid put on a headline-worthy show, and the crowd erupted at the end of the set as the band ended with their hit single, Wake The Dead. Comeback Kid are yet another tough act to follow.
Senses Fail
Our second band of the night, Senses Fail, were straight to the stage, followed by their frontman, James “Buddy” Nielsen, in a full cowboy get-up! Nielson, along with the rest of the guys, put on a killer performance.
Playing a range of songs from their extensive repertoire that covers a time span of 20 years, myself and hundreds more tonight were mesmerised by the band as a whole. Nielson was on point throughout the set and brought heaps of energy, constantly running around the stage, doing cartwheels and even, at several points, climbing the metal framing on the stage. It’s safe to say these were a hard act to follow.
Koyo
After making it in from the cold, we were shortly greeted with the first band of the evening, Koyo. The band proved to be the perfect introduction to the evening, delivering an energetic performance that got the crowd thoroughly in the mood to rock.
Koyo made the long journey from New York to be on this tour, providing us with what they describe as “Stony Brook Hardcore”. A finely tuned mix of emo, pop punk and hardcore that indeed made an mpact on the London crowd. I fully expect to see the band over here on future tours.
