A seemingly endless line of hardcore followers waited patiently outside of Manchester's Club Academy, in almost freezing conditions. With three support bands and an original date for their debut UK tour last October, Attack Attack! sure know how to keep us Brits waiting.
The venue was also changed from that first announced, moving from Academy 3 to Club Academy, a good move in my opinion. A basement venue with a bar and sticky floors, Club Academy provides the perfect surroundings for any generic hardcore gig.
All three support bands showed huge respect for the headliners Attack Attack! and this was replicated by every member of the crowd. As each act dispatched their set list, not only did the hair length and number of tattoos increase, but the energy levels shown by each band grew more intense. This huge drive of power was clearly evident in the ever growing mosh pit, of which was repeatedly thrust in my direction.
Bury Tomorrow, a five-piece Metalcore band from Southampton, truly know how to prove that Brits can take on this genre with the same ferocity as their US counterparts.
Launching themselves around one of Manchester's more intimate venues, this self-assured group were noticeably the first band to have the whole crowd shouting out their lyrics. Mid-way through a heavy touring schedule, Bury Tomorrow had the entire auditorium psyched up for the headline band in no time at all.
Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Attack Attack! infiltrated the stage with a dramatic opening number and now, finally, the wait for their hardcore fans was over. The crowd moved forward as a collective and those too who were once bystanders were propelled as near to the action as possible. Continuously screaming lyrics back to the band, the size of the pit instantly expanded and many tackled this head-on by crowd surfing their way toward the front.
Between songs, singer Caleb Shomo, asking for 'crowd participation' was a definite understatement. Previously credited for creating their own genre of 'Crabcore', this defines the stamina and enthusiasm that Attack Attack! deliver in every show and across every country toured. In spirit of this, now intoxicated with a mixture of hard drinking and even harder music, the entire congregation joined forces and, with instructions from the band, they sat on each others shoulders and continued to mosh.
This was a perfect example showing the control and influence that the band have over their devotees. Inches away from the low basement ceiling, the impulsive mass showed no regard to their own welfare as one by one I watched the security escort various adolescents in the direction of first aid.
Attack Attack! completed what can only be described as a colossal performance with an encore of their most popular single 'Stick Stickly' which had been eagerly anticipated by now beat-up crowd. Leaving the Club Academy on a climax, ears ringing, the ground was littered with an arrangement of blood stained t-shirts and odd shoes. I think this sums-up the escapade brought on by Attack Attack!.
Words & Photos - Ian Taylor
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