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.
