Four Years Strong
February 14, 2017
The Fleece- Bristol, England
From Worcester, Massachusetts, American pop punk band Four Year Strong kicked off their first stop in the UK on the ten year anniversary tour of their second full length album Rise Or Die Trying, in Bristol. Four Year Strong have come a long way in those ten years supporting the likes of Blink-182 and headlining festivals. This was an eagerly awaited tour by many as not only was the album being played in full, but the band chose to play at smaller capacity venues to make the experience more intimate and special for the fans.
Joining them on their UK dates were English pop punk bands Homebound and Boston Manor. Both who have gained noticeable attention in the UK and US pop punk scene. As well as French pop punk/hardcore band Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!
Opening the night was up and coming Homebound who have recently released their second EP The Mould You Build Around Yourself. The band smashed through their set playing a mixture of songs from their new and previous release Permanence. Playing tracks including Headspace, Distrait, Worthwhile and Broken Reverie which they recently released a music video for. The band’s tightness and solid song playing combined with their energy was enhanced by the crowd interaction setting up for what was to follow in the night ahead.
Next up was UK high energy pop punkers Boston Manor who are currently on a string of touring dates in the UK as well as heading over to the US with Moose Blood. Offering a slightly more melodic pop punk sound than Homebound as well as being highly engaging, they started off with an energetic start. Not wasting anytime in getting the crowd moving playing their opening track Burn You Up off their latest release definitely set the tempo. Their set also featured songs such as Lead Feet and Cu‘as well as playing my personal and crowd favorite track Laika.
With the crowd buzzing from the last two performances next in store was Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! Offering a more heavy sound of post hardcore combined with catchy pop punk riffs made them a great support to ease into Four Year Strong. They were greatly received by the crowd with their upbeat stage presence and the charisma of their frontman Bertrand Poncet. Opening up with the first track of their latest release Playing Dead. Having quite a catalogue of music the band played a mixture of songs from their latest release including The Other Line and songs from their earlier releases including Haters Gonna Hate and In Friends We Trust. Everyone was in full voice when the band played their famous cover of Smash Mouth’s 1999 hit All Star.
Having seen a stellar performance from the previous bands the crowd was in full swing and were eagerly awaiting Four Year Strong. As the beards took to the stage, the sirens of The Take Over began to play and the band then wasted no time going into Prepare To Be Digitally Manipulated starting as they meant to carry on with their energy being relentless which was matched by the crowd being in strong voice.
Notable mentions were Wrecked Em? Damn Near Killed Em with the crowd singing every word. As well as the band breaking down into Slayer’s famous track Raining Blood when performing Beatdown In The Key Of Happy, which was well received by the crowd. Additionally the band also played tracks from their later releases including We All Float Down From Here, What The Hell Is a Gigawatt and It Must Really Suck To Be Four Year Strong Right Now.
The band’s interaction with the crowd, spurring them on, was matched with people stage diving and mosh pits opening. Four Year Strong ended the night with Wasting Time, which led into the crowd up on stage singing along with the band, which was a great moment to witness. Props to the band for playing in these smaller venues allowing a greater crowd interaction and a more enjoyable experience, which can sometimes be lost in bigger venues. If you want to see a band packed full of heavy, catchy riffs with high energy then Four Year Strong have the full package.
Review by: Anthony Shaw
Four Years Strong
Boston Manor
Homebound
