Music / ben barlow
Review: Neck Deep, O2 Academy Bristol ?
This sold-out evening with Wrexham’s Neck Deep was a re-education in pop punk. Thrust into the news because of the fluctuating status of its forerunners Blink 182, the genre felt antiquated and left behind.
From the first power chord, Neck Deep reminded those listening, via infectious breakdowns and catchy choruses, that the two-and-a-half-minute, three-chord volley of angst will always resonate with audiences.
The connection to the crowd, through both locale and lyrical content, was raw and compassionate. The near-sixty-minute set saw every single lyric sang back at the band, especially on A Part of Me where the crowd easily overpowered those on stage.
Each fan savoured every inch they gained as they clamoured and climbed over one another, getting nearer to the stage. Those brave (or foolish) enough to crowd-surf their way to front were met by lead singer Ben Barlow and his microphone for a brief duet before being pulled aside.
The set’s fast-paced, youthful spirit was further boosted by the band’s decision to tour not just their 2014 release Wishful Thinking – but to reach back, for the first time, into their catalogue and assemble a set of fan favourites and rarities from early EPs.
Neck Deep’s modern pop-punk fury gives people exactly what they are desperately looking for in a gig. A performance in a larger venue, with a band that has spent years touring dive bars and smaller venues, showcasing the communal spirit of concerts and blurring the lines between audience and performers.
Neck Deep played the O2 Academy on Tuesday, February 3. For more Academy line-ups, visit www.o2academybristol.co.uk
Pics: Albert Testani
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