The corner outside McDonalds at Glasgow’s famed ‘four corners’ will be quiet tonight. Why? Neck Deep, the new kids on the pop-punk scene, are playing at Audio.
The first and youngest band of the night are Flakes, with singer Sean MacKay only being a ripe 16 years of age – which entails the young audience who have shown up so far to “awww” at everything he says.
Genre wise, they are ‘probably emo’ – as stated in their bandcamp – and are akin to bands like Touché Amoré and Seahaven.
They have an air of melancholy about them, but have lyrics that are sung drenched in angst, with the aid of MacKay’s screeching vocals.
The performance definitely draws the audience in and makes them pay attention.
Laden with a heavy heartedness that Jesse Lacey would be proud of, Flakes could look to develop into one of Glasgow’s staple emo bands, if so they choose to continue.
Next up are Cavaliers, a local five-piece, they bring a certain energy to the stage which is a stark contrast to what was present before, therefore fail to really grab hold of the attention the way they would have liked to.
They have a more saccharine approach to pop punk, with synchronized stage jumps and extreme enthusiasm, channelling a band like The Summer Set.
The performance overall is not a bad one, but probably not the right band for an audience like tonight.
If anything, to someone in the audience they might be a guilty pleasure, who would enjoy it, but ensure that no one else in the room was aware of it, while also taking a mental note to maybe check them out later, as they plugged themselves consistently throughout their short set.
Roam then comes on, and the hype begins to build, they are a five-piece who bring their own South East pop punk to the North West.
They have a different kind of energy, that’s a little angry and passionate – everything that pop punk encompasses.
Definitely a band to watch, and even though they are not as well loved or known as the headliners, they show that they really are out to prove themselves.
As they walk off the stage, the crowd are left in anticipation for what is to come.
Neck Deep come on to a cheer, the pinnacle point of the night had finally arrived and the band blister through songs old and new – mostly new – much to the audience’s delight, the boys from Wrexham had just released their debut album, Wishful Thinking, this week.
The whole affair is a passionate one, not only on lead singer Ben Barlow’s part, but of the crowd as well.
If you are no stranger to pop punk, you will be fully aware of how intense a show can get, especially if you are in a condensed venue such as Audio.
Despite the stage being extended, the crowd do not hold back and pile in to get as close to Barlow as they can, all the while aggressively finger pointing.
With songs about friendship, lost love and growing up, the boys in Neck Deep entice the audience and keep them in tow for the whole performance, never lulling.
The point everyone had been waiting for, I can only assume due to the increase in volume and the increase of smart phones in the air to record it, is the performance of ‘A Part Of Me,’ which is the song they had originally recorded with Laura Whiteside.
Even though they were short of a female vocalist, it doesn’t matter, as the collective voice of 150 once broken-hearted teenagers or once-teenagers chimed in to help out.
Another acoustic song is played – ‘Head to the Ground’ – then to finish, a final full band version of ‘Growing Pains’.
The lads leave the stage, but not first before getting a quick few selfies with their adoring fans.
The days where stateside bands ruled this genre are now in jeopardy of being long gone as this band that has all hype and all heart show that they have what it takes to rise about the chaff.
Words: Alisa Wylie
Photos: Federico Plantera
