Pierce The Veil seem to be getting bigger by the day. The product of extreme promotion from all the typical rock outlets; they’ve been canonised by the media and tonight they play their largest show in London to-date. Filled with screeching fans, this is a chance for the Californian rockers to show everyone why they deserve the spotlight and to justify their remarkable popularity.
This proves to be a tough job for them before they even hit the stage though. Anybody who chooses Creeper and letlive. as their support acts must be either nuts or wanting to give themselves a challenge. Southampton based Creeper start the night as the room quickly fills out. As possibly the most talked about upcoming band in UK rock this year, it’s quite incredible to witness the majority of the crowd singing along to every word. Their stage presence, dark imagery and musicianship shows just how capable they are of winning over a venue of this magnitude with ease.
More exciting than 99.9% of rock bands out there, letlive. never fail in putting on a spectacle. When it comes to the live platform, nobody can touch them. Whether its skating on amps, surfing in the crowd or running up to the balcony for the ending of ‘Muther’, all you have to do is blink and you can lose track of frontman Jason Butler.
When he is actually on stage, Butler’s mix of Jackson-esque stage moves, honest and thought provoking moments of reflection between songs and naturally gifted vocal talent makes your jaw drop in awe. After years of dominating small stages, letlive. have firmly got the songs, the experience and the balls to really capture venues the size of Brixton. You can only imagine the headliners shaking in their boots, now wondering how they’re gonna top that.
Following a nifty video package and arriving via spaceship (yes, spaceship!!!), Pierce The Veil arrive to a sea of shrieks from the younger portion of the crowd (there’s lots of parents at the back, looking annoyed that they’re out late on a Sunday night), as they open with ‘Dive In’. Huge solos, a big chorus and thousands of the voices singing along, even some people crying. Exactly how a 21st Century rock show should start. Did we mention there’s a spaceship on stage?
They put everything in and more to make their performance something to remember. All the usual stuff: mad light show, confetti canon and heavy as hell; there’s nothing they’ve left at home. Despite the significantly noticeable backing track throughout their set, the signature style from guitarist Tony Perry packs a punch with huge riffs as he shreds through tracks like ‘The Divine Zero’ and with masses of charisma to boot, whilst drummer Mike Fuentes barely ever stops for breath. The complexity but personality they put in to their songs shows everyone why they are considered as some of the most promising young musicians in rock. With tones and even chemistry similar to Avenged Sevenfold, you can see their career going in the same path based on this explosive live show.
Their appeal makes sense once singer Vic Fuentes stops for some audience banter. He’s effortlessly charming when he speaks to the audience, however he can be extremely grating vocally when they burst into song. There’s a fair difference in the strength of his vocals live compared to on record but his flamboyancy and sheer energy makes up for it. Although, closing on their classic ‘King For A Day’, you can understand why his distinct style has immersed thousands of people.
Pierce The Veil play almost live, stay politically neutral, and they may be overhyped by all the typical rock mags, but ultimately they’re fun and that’s exactly what this crowd want. Whether it’s just a night to get away from exams, work or the real life in general, the band offer a hard hitting escape from reality with a taste for aggression. That’s the real key to their success.
LOUIS KERRY
