Review: Modern Baseball, The Fleece

by Sammie Maine

At 26-years-old, feeling ‘old’ at a gig doesn’t happen that often but tonight, the age difference was more than apparent. Hoards of teenagers began queuing hours before open doors, getting dropped off by their parents and excitedly huddling together in their Modern Baseball hoodies, staring at the stage door, desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of their heroes. 

Modern Baseball are an early twenty-somethings quartet from Philadelphia who showcase the kind of emo-punk I grew up with in the early 00s. It’s catchy, it’s devastatingly relatable and unapologetically sincere. This is the music that speaks to those feeling a little lost, and as more people turn up and the age difference starts to minimise, it seems we never really stop looking for acceptance, no matter our age.

The band’s 2012 debut ‘Sports’ quickly gained momentum, with last year’s follow-up ‘You’re Gonna Miss It All’ securing their place as one of the most exciting and relevant bands to come out of the Philadelphia music scene.

Joining them as co-headliners is Into It. Over It. As the solo project of Chicago-bred Evan Thomas Weiss, his music has been a forerunner in the emo circuit for years. His wealth of releases has gained him a legion of fans, noticeably older tonight as the crowd quite literally splits in two during the two sets, but no less enthusiastic. 

It’s clear these kids have been waiting for Modern Baseball to visit Bristol as they squeeze together at the front (around 80% of them young girls, which is only ever a wonderful sight at any show), immediately bursting into a sing-a-long as soon as the first chord is struck. There’s legs flailing and arms waving left, right and centre as crowd-surfers dive head first into the stage.

More often than not, lead vocalists Jake and Brendan don’t even have to sing the words, as The Fleece erupts into word-perfect executions. Proving that Modern Baseball produce the kind of songs that call for such an impassioned response, it’s a rare treat to witness an audience that couldn’t care less about looking cool, and instead sing their hearts out with all their might.

As the last day of tour, Into It. Over It are looking pretty tired. As Evan explains most of them have the flu, with the drummer going through a bad case of food poisoning, the band still power through a seamless and riveting execution. Gone are the kids at the front, replaced by die-hard Into It. Over It. Fans that make the performance all the more intimate and all the more special.

As the drummer runs off stage to throw up behind the car, Evan fills the time by telling jokes before the drummer’s back and the band continue to prove that even when they’re feeling less than great, they can still turn out on of the most note perfect and heartfelt performances I’ve witnessed in a very long time. Both Modern Baseball and Into It. Over It. were an absolute dream to witness tonight and even on their last legs, they sure know how to put on a rock show.