Riding the wave of two top tier new records from both bands, with Dance Gavin Dance unleashing their heaviest material to date on Mothership while Veil of Maya turned up their game with sixth album False Idol; the time could not be more ideal for a tour that gives both a chance to strut their stuff. Nottingham’s Rescue Rooms was the host for the impending chaos – and chaos it evidently was. Opening up tonight’s proceedings on their first UK jaunt, is San Diego post-hardcore moshers Thousand Below 5. Oozing confidence and enthusiasm from head to toe, they get straight into the swings of things despite a brutally lackluster live sound, which reduces everything to a mere whimper of what was intended. Wielding a style of post hardcore and metalcore widely popular around the late 00’s/early 10’s, whilst not being anything anywhere near new or original, what they do, they do it well. Winning over some new fans in the process. With a much better live sound and a bigger, more lively crowd Veil of Maya 7 set it off good and proper from the get go. Being fortunate to feature some top quality musicians, including what seems to be the metalcore equivalent of a human drum machine (THOSE BLAST BEATS.) Veil of Maya drop punisher after punisher of djent/tech metalcore madness. Whilst vocalist Lukas Magyar’s screams are slightly on the flat side, his singing more than makes up for it, soaring across each track. As the set progresses, Veil of Maya work the crowd up into a near frenzy, cultivating into a few spin-kicks being dished out during some quite frankly, hard as fuck breakdowns, before ending on a set highlight of fan favorite ‘Mikasa’, calling time on a most enjoyable set. With Rescue Rooms now almost packed to the rafters once Dance Gavin Dance 10 take to the stage, not a single person could have been prepared for what was about to take place. As soon as guitar maestro Will Swan strikes the opening notes of ‘Chucky Vs. The Giant Tortoise’, every member of the band onstage erupt into what can only be described as one of the best, most technically precise performances this reviewer has seen in a long, long time. Each member of Dance Gavin Dance is played their role to the highest standard possible, whilst making it look like a steady Sunday morning jam. Vocalists Tilian Pearson and Jon Mess make the performance of their recorded outputs look absolutely effortless, with ‘Tilan’ in particular leveling the place with a voice that could bring about world peace with the right chorus. After only playing three songs, it’s incredibly clear that Dance Gavin Dance have nailed it, with the crowd eating out of the palms of their hands, leaning on a set heavy on material from the past three records; which is a signal of just how strong this material is compared to their past works with Jonny Craig. As the set progresses Dance Gavin Dance continues to awe and amaze, not dropping the ball for a split second. Leaving the stage after an intense headline set, leaving the crowd practically begging for more. Seven albums deep, eighteen years down the line. Dance Gavin Dance has delivered a master class in modern day post-hardcore. If you sleep on this band, the only person you’re cheating here is yourself.