After reaching colossal heights, fresh faced American new comers, Against The Current (ATC), have become one of the most talked about bands on the planet. Their infectious concoction of synth-pop-rock has gathered huge followings across the globe and on Wednesday night they played at The Haunt.
It soon becomes immediately obvious that ATC are far too big of a band to be playing this venue. Even by the time that support, HUNGER, come onto the stage, the room is filled far beyond maximum capacity, with the crowd stretching as far back as the front door. HUNGER’s set is refreshingly energetic, their heavy electronic sound fills the room nicely and has a nice level of variance, a very strong band to open tonight’s set.
As a thick fog fills the stage, the already packed room becomes even more tightly rammed. Judging from the amount of people here, ATC could have easily sold out bigger venues such as Concorde 2 or maybe even The Brighton Dome. Nonetheless, it is remarkable to see how dedicated ATC’s fanbase is, despite the band traveling from halfway across the planet, you can tell that for many this is not their first time seeing the band. The room fills with a deep smokey haze and pulsing lighting before the band open with ‘Blood Like Gasoline’ and Chrissy Costanza’s vocal strength becomes immediately clear as she begins pouncing around the stage whilst being able to reach powerful notes which simply reach the ear beautifully. This energy is not dropped through the entire set, and when combined with the stunning lighting production, the set truly becomes a work of cinema. As the first track comes to a close, we are immediately met with ‘Running With The Wild Things’, a highly upbeat track with one of the most infectious choruses I've come across in a while, the track clearly means a lot to the crowd as you can see every face in the room screaming along to the lyrics.
ATC’s level of variance between songs is incredibly revitalising, as the faster numbers that stress heavy riff and instrumentation come to a close, are contrasted by slower songs such as ‘Chasing Ghosts’ applying a far heavier emphasis on Chrissy’s stunning vocals, which she executes to an equally exquisite level. Being just 21, Chrissy has the vocal power and control of a true veteran and I can only see her vocals growing bigger and bigger as her career progresses. My only frustration from tonight is that almost the entire gig is being viewed behind a sea of phone screens. Whilst the bulk of tonight’s audience is relatively young and passionate about this band, there are times when the audience response could have been far stronger. When the band ask to clap along or move around, it seems some are far too preoccupied with filming the show instead of getting involved.
This being said though, musically, ATC’s sound is refreshing if nothing else. Their take on an infectious pop formula combined with heavy rock borders on the magnificent and rivals even that of bands such as Paramore’s older material. Towards the end of the set, Chrissy slows the energy down and gives an emotional monologue behind the meaning of their album title, In Our Bones. She says the album is a reflection of the band’s burning passion to follow their hearts and pursue a musical career, the crowd greet the speech with a loving level of applause and the band head into the ending numbers of the set. The titanic track ‘Wasteland’ and an encore with the equally cataclysmic ‘Gravity’ offer a fantastic end to the evening and both tracks’ intense energy provide the crowd with one final opportunity to dance around. It does seem that many come out from behind their phones and take the opportunity with open arms.
Overall, ATC have played an incredible show tonight which many will have come away from with a smile on their face. Their sound is truly something special and the band’s rise to superstardom has been incredibly justified. I can very easily see ATC selling out stadiums in no time at all and it feels as though they are only just getting started! ATC will be a household name in no time and I for one feel remarkably privileged to be able to witness their first Brighton set at such an intimate gig, I look forward to seeing where ATC head and am anticipating their return to Brighton.
Ben Walker
Website: atcofficial.com
Facebook: facebook.com/againstthecurrentband
Twitter: twitter.com/ATC_BAND