Will Marshall
Self-styled brat metal trio Eville open the night, a fusion of driving pop, rap and nu metal. Opening with ‘Brat MBL’ off their debut EP BR4T METAL, its drum n bass indebted beat is a strong start, and the sound gets even bigger when vocalist Eva Sheldrake grabs a guitar for the odd song here and there. They’re clearly newcomers and fit more into that Prodigy-indebted side of modern alternative music, but despite their relative greenness they’ve got an identity carved out for themselves that they translate onstage and get people moving early.
Edinburgh’s Happydaze have made the trip down to open both UK shows, and their easygoing pop punk is a nice segue between the other bands. It’s reminiscent of 2000s pop punk in the vein of Neck Deep or State Champs, eschewing the poppier side that’s become prevalent in recent years. Power chords and fast paced drumming are the order of the day; not groundbreaking but clearly damn good fun as evidenced by the crowd they get waving hands and bouncing not long into their set. There’s moments that could almost fit at Outbreak as a palate cleanser, even if this isn’t quite the crowd for two stepping.
It’s been a turbulent time since As Everything Unfolds last headlined in London, to say the least, though they did play an opening slot for Bury Tomorrow a year ago. Between that headline and now they’ve endured unimaginable tragedy along with career highs including signing to powerhouse label Century Media. Tonight is a triumphant return, opening with a thunderous ‘Set In Flow’ and the anthemic ‘Felt Like Home’, the chorus of which the room belts back. The crowd know what to do, pits opening without being asked and giving it their best just as the band do. Even further back there’s movement and people singing the likes of recent single ‘Point of View’. Tonight’s also a special night in that there’s some real deep cuts; ahead of the tour, the band did a poll on their social media to see which older track fans wanted most. There was a tie, so naturally they play both, with ’17:10′ from their second EP Closure and ‘Wither’ that closes their debut album. The former is a party starter while the latter closes out their main set in gut wrenchingly emotional fashion.
Before that though, there’s a set stacked with bangers. “I’m sure some of you have been waiting for the heavy bits,” vocalist Charlie Rolfe quips before a furious ‘Flip Side’ into latest single ‘What You Wanted’, that has a serious claim for heaviest moment of the night and perhaps the rowdiest crowd moments as the crowd surfers appear and navigate swirling pits. Keyboard player Jon Cassidy offers plenty of levity too; hitting cymbals during breakdowns, yelling his name (an in joke that’s developed throughout their fanbase of yelling it to them at shows or commenting it on their social media). That plus the band constantly whirling and darting round the admittedly smaller stage ensures they’re magnetic performers and at no point do they sacrifice quality either, arguably sounding the best they ever have. Off the back of a performance this good and with the surely incoming LP3, here’s hoping As Everything Unfolds finally hit the heights they deserve to.
