That being said ‘Class Of ‘99’ doesn’t quite dominate the space in the way you would expect. It’s full of creativity and potential and it has a sense of building to a satisfying crescendo, but the abrupt ending quickly jerks you out of the enjoyable surroundings that Fort Hope had created. Just another thirty seconds or so would have been enough to bring it all together. It’s to Fort Hope’s credit that a minor blip like that is pretty much the only black mark against the album. ‘Dios Falso’ for example, may start off sounding like a casual jamming session but it soon erupts into a big and strong chorus that is representative of the rest of the album.

The record really gets going with ‘The People Of The Lake’. The soaring vocals and surging guitars will draw you in, whilst the sense of the dramatic conjured up by the lyrics adds another welcome layer to the song. Fort Hope know what works for them and similarly ‘Cardinale (Runaway Monday)’ is another demonstration of brilliant drums, captivating guitars, and the impressive vocal range of Jon Gaskin, with the riffs being instantly anthemic.

That’s not to say that ‘The Flood Flowers, Vol. 1’ ever gets stuck in a rut or sounds formulaic. The unique ‘Minor White’ kicks off with an extended intro of drum machines and keys that is accompanied by delicate vocals, and the effortless switching between this and huge sounding riffs gives the song a welcome contrast. ‘The Ward’ also brings something different to the album with an expansive feel and hints of electro throughout. Both are a brilliant showcase of what the guys in Fort Hope are capable of if they decide to take the band in a more experimental direction.

When they do dip back into more familiar territory as on ‘Look At Yourself’, the guitars still have enough of a melodic crunch to them to get stuck in your head for a long time afterwards. Such is the well-honed nature of the song writing, that it doesn’t feel like long before ‘Tears’ brings the album to an effortlessly strong conclusion. If anything you are left with not only the real sense of having been on a musical journey but of wanting to do it again and again and again.

CHRIS HILSON

It is taken from their new album, ‘The Flood Flowers Vol 1’, which is out on June 16 via Virgin/EMI and available to pre-order now.

Listen to ‘Class Of ’99’ below.

It will be out on June 16 via Virgin/EMI, and to coincide with the release, the band will stream a new track each week on the lead up to the release. The first is their new single, ‘The People Of The Lake’, which you can hear below.

They join the stacked line up that includes Enter Shikari, who will perform ‘Take To The Skies’ in full, Don Broco, Bowling For Soup, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, We The Kings, Cute Is What We Aim For, Beartooth, Tonight Alive, Against Me!, The Bronx, Goldfinger, Mad Caddies, The Movielife, Trophy Eyes, Like Pacific, Neck Deep, Citizen, Turnover, Deaf Havana, Frank Iero and The Patience, We Are The Ocean, The Maine, Crime In Stereo, Sorority Noise, Too Close To Touch, Seaway, WSTR, Boston Manor, and Stray From The Path  Set It Off, Memphis May Fire, I Prevail, Ice Nine Kills, Oceans Ate Alaska, Crossfaith, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Waterparks, With Confidence, Milk Teeth, Black Foxxes, Decade, Counterfeit., Fort Hope, SHVPES, Puppy,The Gospel Youth, Ocean Grove, Vukovi, Area 11, Sylar, Homebound, Casey, Makeout, and more.

The festival will take place at three dates across the May Bank Holiday weekend, and the dates for the event’s are below.

Slam Dunk Festival south has now sold out but tickets for the remaining dates are on sale now from the official Slam Dunk website.

May
27 BIRMINGHAM NEC
28 LEEDS City Centre
29 HATFIELD The Forum

The stacked line up includes Enter Shikari, who will perform ‘Take To The Skies’ in full, Don Broco, Bowling For Soup, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, We The Kings, Cute Is What We Aim For, Beartooth, Tonight Alive, Against Me!, The Bronx, Goldfinger, Mad Caddies, The Movielife, Trophy Eyes, Like Pacific, Neck Deep, Citizen, Turnover, Deaf Havana, Frank Iero and The Patience, We Are The Ocean, The Maine, Crime In Stereo, Sorority Noise, Too Close To Touch, Seaway, WSTR, Boston Manor, and Stray From The Path  Set It Off, Memphis May Fire, I Prevail, Ice Nine Kills, Oceans Ate Alaska, Crossfaith, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Waterparks, With Confidence, Milk Teeth, Black Foxxes, Decade, Counterfeit., Fort Hope, SHVPES, Puppy,The Gospel Youth, Ocean Grove, Vukovi, Area 11, Sylar, Homebound, Casey, Makeout, and more.

The festival will take place at three dates across the May Bank Holiday weekend, and the dates for the event’s are below.

Slam Dunk Festival south has now sold out but tickets for the remaining dates are on sale now from the official Slam Dunk website.

May
27 BIRMINGHAM NEC
28 LEEDS City Centre
29 HATFIELD The Forum

Black Foxxes, Normandie, Tigress, Big Spring, We Came from Wolves, Seasons and New Device will be joining the likes of Our Hollow Our Home, Fort Hope, Skarlett Riot and more at the Bedfordshire based festival, which takes place at Scald End Farm, from the 4th to the 6th August. More bands will be added soon.

Early bird weekend tickets are currently available at £45, which includes camping and parking, can be purchased here.

It’s taken from their forthcoming EP, ‘Armure’, which is released on December 2nd and is available to pre-order now.

The band head out  on tour in December with Area 11,  which you can see the dates for below, along with the video for ‘Say No’.

December (w/ Area 11)
09 BRIGHTON Patterns
10 SOUTHAMPTON Joiners
12 MANCHESTER Sound Control
13 GLASGOW King Tuts
14 BIRMINGHAM Asylum 2
15 LONDON O2 Islington
17 BRISTOL Thekla

It’s taken from their forthcoming EP, ‘Armure’, which is released on December 2nd and is available to pre-order now.

The band also start their UK tour this weekend which you can see the dates for below, along with a stream of ‘Say No’.

OCTOBER
22 OXFORD Cellar
24 NORWICH Waterfront
25 GLASGOW Attic Bar
26 MANCHESTER Sound Control
27 WOLVERHAMPTON Slade Rooms
29 LONDON Underworld

It marks the band’s second headline run of the year, as well as appearing at Download Festival in June.

OCTOBER
22 OXFORD Cellar
24 NORWICH Waterfront
25 GLASGOW Attic Bar
26 MANCHESTER Sound Control
27 WOLVERHAMPTON Slade Rooms
29 LONDON Underworld

LAIS MW