Endless Heights are a difficult band to pin down. On the outside they appear to be hipster-tough guy hardcore but musically they play an amalgamation of every trend in hardcore/punk over the last five years – mixing elements of Basement, Title Fight, and Balance & Composure’s signature sounds. That having been said, the small number of new songs in the second half of their set revealed a slight diversion in their sound. You Coward is reminiscent of a song off an early 2000s teen slasher movie soundtrack. They even dedicated a song to their new label Cooking Vinyl, so we can expect big things from this band at long last.
Turnover were a very satisfying band to watch. They were completely unpretentious, cool and calm. There wasn’t any fancy walk-on nor hype music. Their tone was spot on – one bass tone that suited the whole set, no rack tom as the drummer didn’t need it, and just the right amount of reverb on the vocals. Like a punk-rock Beach Boys, their set was a delicious, chilled Pina Colada of snappy, honey-soaked emo jams.
The room had thinned out somewhat by the time Touché Amore took the stage, but the enthusiasm of the still-present audience hadn’t dipped at all as they cut loose with the first few notes of Parting The Sea Between Brightness and Me. TA are consummate professionals and know exactly how to put on a show. Newer songs off 2016’s Stage Four were mixed in with a plethora of older songs as they effortlessly whipped the pit into a frenzy.
The band delivered a real, honest and sincere form of indie-hardcore punk that has matured naturally across their four albums. They tore through song after song after song, while any well-deserved moments of rest were filled with audio samples and atmospheric guitar loops. The last two TA albums deal predominantly with singer Jeremy Bolm’s mothers sickness, death and the grief that follows and the songs were given more weight in a live setting.
Highlight: The singer of Turnover’s socks and sandals combo.
Lowlight: Only catching the last few notes of Better Half’s set. Definitely need to catch them next time.
Crowd Favourite: Palm Dreams.
