Touché Amoré are embarking on their much anticipated tour across the UK, with tonight’s show at The Haunt being the first date. Seeing as their newest album Stage Four has been reviewed and received by fans remarkably well, a lot is riding on this tour. Tonight’s show is one of sweat, savagery, all underlined with beautifully poetic themes and, despite being an LA-based band, Touché Amoré’s British audience is one of the most dedicated I have ever seen.

Kicking things off tonight are the Glaswegian lads from Departures, their sound stresses an immense sense of hardcore and screamed vocals which are performed with such a ferocity and passion that many hardcore artists fall short on delivering. Frontman James McKean’s energy is terrific and holds a nice level of personality within his performance, despite the band literally having to drive from the opposite side of the country, Departures are received incredibly well and there are clearly one or two in the crowd who have come out especially to see them. By the time that second support, ANGEL DU$T, begin playing, the room has reached a nice capacity. I hear mumblings amongst crowd members stating their excitement for their set, so I am somewhat intrigued as to what to expect. It is immediately apparent that these guys simply do not give a single care what people think of them. Their first track is greeted with audience members instantly scrambling over one another, grabbing for the microphone. Mosh pits open and the fists start flying left, right and centre. ANGEL DU$T are definitely a charismatic bunch, their sound stresses a sense of individuality which, as it is clear from these fans, means an awful lot to an awful lot of people.

Thanks to the two previous bands, the room does already hold the unmistakable smell of spilt booze and sweat, always a positive sign your gig is going well! As the lights suddenly dim, a hazy pastel projection of the Stage Four album cover is plastered over the back wall of The Haunt and the crowd erupt into applause. Judging by the fact that the room is already at maximum capacity and the electric buzz can be felt in the air, it is clear that the band’s following is incredibly devoted, and from the first note of ‘Flowers And You’, a tsunami of energy is let out. As vocalist Jeremy Bolm walks on stage, his savagely executed lyrics really bring the performance to life and send the crowd into some form of frenzy. Touché Amoré’s sound is heavy enough to be reminiscent of bands such as Brighton heroes, Architects (who are in attendance tonight), but provides more of a stress on grungy tones and strained vocals that really pull at the heart strings.

Jeremy’s vocal tones are remarkable throughout the entire set, he has such a soft spoken voice which is quickly contrasted by hard hitting screams that work perfectly with the flailing guitars and drums. There is also a distinct level of poetry and depth behind each track this band release, making the overall listen a far more meaningful experience than simply thrashing around to hardcore riffs. This being said, the intensity throughout the show only continues to grow from song to song, with an increasing number of crowd surfers being seen as the show progresses. Jeremy holds the microphone out to the masses a number of times, each time being yelled back the lyrics, however in tracks like ‘Amends’ in particular, he is instead returned with a sea of battle cries that dwarf even the ginormous amps. It is rare to see fans this dedicated to any band, let alone ones from the other side of the Atlantic, a definite commendable aspect to the evening.

As the set begins to close, the energy is ramped up one final time for ‘Pathfinder’ which sends the crowd into one final fit of hysteria and sees people clawing and climbing over one another. Just as we think all is over though, the band return for a three song encore and it’s clear that this is just what the crowd wanted. Jeremy spends the final moments on stage thanking everyone for coming, there is a definite croak and crack in his voice from all of the intense screaming which is almost comical, I do have to question if his vocals will be able to hold out for the rest of the tour! But nonetheless, he states that Brighton could not have been a better place to start the tour so we are all left with a feel good ending to the evening.

Whatever Touché Amoré are doing to keep and grow their audience, it is clearly working. It is bands such as these who embody the real levels of passion and creativity behind music, little can be faulted from tonight and I will certainly look forward to seeing the band’s return to Brighton, which I’m sure will only be even bigger and better than tonight!

Ben Walker

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