After an incredibly long day, I was on my way to my favourite venue, The O2 Institute Birmingham, for another night of loud, musicy goodness. Tonight’s line-up consisted of Lizzy Farrall, Weathers and Set It Off. Unfortunately, Cemetery Sun had to pull out of the show because all of their equipment and tour van was stolen, so the line-up was only a three-band bill. Make sure to send some love their way.
After an interesting conversation in the smoking area, I headed in for the night’s first act, Lizzy Farrall. She’s (unsurprisingly to anyone who reads my reviews) an artist I’ve never heard of until tonight and was a pleasant surprise. With catchy hooks, great vocals and tight musicianship, she perfectly (with help from her band) warmed the crowd up with her blend of Indie, Pop-Punk and elements of Post-Hardcore that created a sound that genuinely sounded unique. A pleasantly surprising set that I really enjoyed watching.
The night’s main support was American Rock/Indie 4-piece Weathers, and despite the sound not really being to my taste, the energy from the crowd, the tightness of the performance was enough to sell me on the band. From the crowd screaming along to every word to the constant interaction with those in attendance from vocalist Cameron Boyer, it’s obvious just how well rehearsed and serious the band are as musicians and anyone into a good live show needs to see these guys live as soon as they can. A perfect main support act that left the room buzzing for the main event.
After a final smoke, I headed back in to witness an impressive light show with curated music chosen by Set It Off as the tone maker for the night. After 15 minutes or so, the band rushed the stage to a ridiculous level of love and energy from the crowd. The band instantly ate this up as they unleashed a relentlessly energetic performance three years in the making. With a blend of sounds from across more genres than I can list, it’s an understatement to say I’ve never seen a band like this in my 8 years of covering live shows. From crowd-surfing band members, the best light show I’ve seen in the institute and just overall creating a safe environment, Set It Off, while not to my taste, played an amazing set and I hope to catch them live again soon.
Nights like this are my favourite to cover. Not knowing any of the acts and still having an amazing time is always a great feeling. From the tightness of everyone’s performances to the welcoming energy of the crowd, I urge everyone to go to a Set It Off show, it’s a one-of-a-kind experience.
Review & Photography: Dan Stapleton // Pulse Media Visuals
Set It Off are currently on tour in the UK, bringing their ultra colourful live show to all the major cities- a tour which has seen a number of rescheduled dates, all the while being upgraded each time due to their loyal and expanding fanbase. In support of this, the band have released new video “Dangerous”.
Watch the video HERE
The bands full tour dates are below:
Set It Off UK + EU tour with
Weathers, Cemetery Sun + Lizzy Farrall
5th November Waterfront, Norwich
6th November Garage, Glasgow
7th November Tramshed, Cardiff
8th November O2 Ritz, Manchester
10th November O2 Institute, Birmingham
11th November O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
13th November Riverside, Newcastle
14th November Stylus, Leeds
16th November Petit Bain, Paris France
17th November Zoom, Frankfurt, Germany
18th November Zappa, Antwerp, Belgium
20th November Tivolivredenburg Pandora, Utrecht, Netherlands
21st November Essigfabrik, Cologne Germany
22nd November Feierwerk Hansa 30, Munich, Germany
24th November Im Wizemann, Stuttgart, Germany
25th November Legend Club, Milan Italy
28th November Pumpehuest Copenhagen, Denmark
29th November John Dee, Oslo, Norway
1st December Fryshuest, Stockholm, Sweden
Tickets on sale now
RECENT SET IT OFF DROPS:
“Skeleton”
“Projector”
“Why Do I feat Hatsune Miku”
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