We come back to Alexandra Palace fresh and ready (some of us more than others…) for the second day of Warped Tour UK. Straight to the Punktastic stage to set up, and also quash some rumours that A Day To Remember might be playing our acoustic basement. We had our doubts too for a little while there…
Lais MW and Ben Tipple are back on site to catch what’s going down.
SUNDAY
Ben: As with yesterday, I start the day in the Acoustic Basement – this time catching the excellent Northcote. The mid-tempo compositions are a great way to aid recovery for anyone still flagging from last night, as well as proving simply beautiful.
Lais: Back to the press room to interview We Are The Ocean and The Maine. Both bands are absolutely brilliant and great fun to interview, and are both about to play fantastic sets.
We join up to head back to the Punktastic stage for Sonic Boom Six’s acoustic set. This is their first of two sets today, along with two signings, and they’ve managed to reach capacity on the acoustic basement. They’re also the first band all weekend to get people standing up and dancing, as the rest of the time the acoustic acts have been a mellow affair, with people enjoying them sat on the floor. SB6 manage to keep that swagger even playing acoustic, and the fact the room is one-in-one-out for them is incredible.
We then head to the incredible Gibson bus to interview Sonic Boom Six after their acoustic set and straight before their stellar show on the Jagermeister stage. Barney and Laila are always a hilarious team, and today is no different. Excellent interview.
Ben: We have some excellent conversations with Yellowcard, Rat Attack and Decade before heading off to catch A Day To Remember. Before the band take to the stage the room has to be shut off for capacity reasons. It’s an indication of just how big this band have become over the past few years.
Lais: It’s time for that ‘secret’ A Day To Remember acoustic set that has kept people’s tongues wagging all weekend. They’re slotted in between Hacktivist and Sonic Boom Six on the Jagermeister stage, and they come on for a swift 20 minute set, playing ‘City Of Ocala’ and ‘Right Back At It Again’ off their new album ‘Common Courtesy’, followed by big hits ‘All Signs Point To Lauderdale’ and ‘All I Want’. ADTR will be back headlining this venue by themselves at the beginning of next year, and this is a brilliant surprise to see them playing a scaled back acoustic set on a small stage. Arguably the best moment of the weekend.
Next I wander through to the main stage to catch Sheffield’s finest While She Sleeps smashing up Alexandra Palace. They have really blown up in the last couple of years, and deservedly so. With bangers like ‘This Is The Six’ and ‘Seven Hills’, they bring the brutality to Warped Tour, and it’s much appreciated.
Ben: Yesterday’s place to be, the Kevin Says stage, is comparably quieter today, yet that doesn’t stop Max Raptor throwing themselves into a thunderous rock and roll set. Fast and gritty, the band provide an enticing glance into what is to come on their rotating headline tour with Attention Thieves and We The Fiction.
Coheed and Cambria sound fantastic as they belt through songs from their entire back catalogue on the Monster Stage. Opening with ‘No World For Tomorrow’, the set takes them through crowd favourites ‘A Favor House Atlantic’ and ‘Blood Red Summer’, even squeezing in ‘Devil in Jersey City’ from their debut record. Claudio Sanchez wows the crowd with his signature guitar playing (behind the head, with his teeth… it’s all there), as the whole band exude showmanship. It easily proves my highlight of the day, and judging by the faces around, I am not alone.
Lais: Billy Talent are playing their second set this weekend. The crowd will never get bored of them though, which is a pretty massive feat. Great work.
Ben: Donning an eye-catching outfit, Rat Attack’s frontman Mike Hodges is a sight to behold in a live environment. His small stature bounds around the stage as if his life depends on it, supported by ferocious alternative rock. Unfortunately the theatrics all feels a little lost for the Kevin Says headliners, as the crowd disperse to other areas of the Palace.
Instead, I catch the end of Rise Against, hoping to see them develop on last night’s headline performance. It’s immediately clear that the setlist is remarkable similar, opting to exchange a few songs here and there instead of commanding a new selection of tracks. The result is as to be expected – those with day tickets will enjoy themselves as much as fans did the day before, but for those who have seen it before it feels largely redundant.
While the majority of the crowd indulge in a little Enter Shikari, I grab myself a compulsory cider and dance the evening away with traditional Irish punks Flogging Molly. This wasn’t my intention. After spending the entire weekend running (often literally) around Alexandra Palace, I planned to enjoy Flogging Molly from the back of the room, undoubtedly with my arms folded. Before I knew it, I was at the bar and then jigging around with a jubilant. I have definitely learned one thing, this band are infectious! A very fitting end to an excellent weekend.
Lais: The weekend’s headliners are the mighty Enter Shikari, who are completely on fire tonight. Their set is unbelievable, and their light show is even better. The great thing about Enter Shikari has always been their relentless energy when they play live, and as a result they are incredible to watch. They crack out big hitter ‘Sorry You’re Not A Winner’ surprisingly early, but newer hits like ‘Arguing With Thermometers’ go down just as well towards the end of the show. As a headliner, Warped UK chose incredibly well. Bravo Enter Shikari, bravo.