We Are The In Crowd - The Cockpit, Leeds 30/1/14 Live Review

We Are The In Crowd - The Cockpit, Leeds 30/1/14 Live Review 

It seems that We Are The In Crowd are never off UK soil and they kicked off 2014 by embarking on their third headline tour in two years, dragging along Newport rockers Save Your Breath and pop punk newbies Neck Deep along for the ride.

                Save Your Breath are first up and although it’s not a brilliant kick-start for the evening, their charm came from the knowledge that they wouldn’t have an enormous reception. Their witty stage-talk and catchy tunes win the audience over and frontman Kristian Richards has no trouble engaging everyone in clapping, jumping and creating mosh pits for the people in the audience with more hair than sense.

                Neck Deep grace the stage afterwards and remind everyone exactly why they headlined (and sold out) the very same venue a couple of weeks earlier. Ben Barlow’s loud-mouthed vocals are on point and bassist Fil Thorpe-Evans’ mini solo in Growing Pains gains an audible cheer from the crowd. Fan favourite A Part Of Me went down a storm, with Ben allowing the audience to sing the female parts in lieu of Laura Whiteside, but the greatest reactions were to new songs such as Crushing Grief (No Remedy) and Damsel In Distress (or as they liked to call it, Denzel in Distress). The energy radiating from the band and the crowd is unbelievable and a throng of stage divers ensued from the very first note of Neck Deep’s set, remaining that way until the end of the night. With the crowd pumped and kicking, the clock ticked down to the beginning of We Are The In Crowd’s headline performance.

                They enter in a cloud of smoke and kick off with new single The Best Thing, much to the pleasure of the audience who scream back every word with reverence. It’s a great start to a great show and the inclusion of five new songs adds an interesting twist to an overused set-list, although fans of Jordan Eckes may have been disappointed at his lack of vocals alongside Tay Jardine’s. It’s clear that WATIC have progressed dramatically in their two years since they released Best Intentions and the transitions between new and old songs seem like hiccups – the two eras of WATIC don’t fit so smoothly into one set and the central focus on Tay is a little off-putting on a small stage.

Tay ’s personal song Windows In Heaven was transformed into a powerful and moving performance with an explosive finale that captured the emotions that the studio version couldn’t and Long Live The Kids kept the crowd belting their hearts out, showing that this song was definitely meant for a live audience. Old favourites were performed, much to the delight of fans, and an acoustic rendition of For The Win offers a calming antidote from the overwhelming vigour that WATIC cast onto the crowd throughout the night. Tunes such as Kiss Me Again and The Worst Thing About Me are played to perfection, keeping the crowd on their toes with their fists in the air. Upbeat and vociferous finale Rumour Mill leaves the crowd on a high before they disperse, leaving a few girls to scan the floor in search of a fallen guitar pick.

                Although the venue wasn’t sold out, the night was a success and the line-up was impeccable – all three bands complemented each other yet offered something different. With the release of their new album Weird Kids, it’s likely that WATIC will headline a bigger venue on their next headline tour and rightly so - their live performances and musical progression deserve a greater reward than a stage overlooking 500 fans and a barman.