Full blown slaves to the ‘90s, Eat Me kick off the evening, and with their immediately invigorating and energetic fuzz-laden pop-rock they catch almost everyone in the audience’s attention within a song or two. While the temperature rises in the upstairs of the Barfly, it doesn’t dampen anyone’s desire or enjoyment – Eat Me are a fantastically entertaining band, and worth keeping an eye on.

Black Foxxes immediately stake a claim this evening to be one of the hottest bands to look out for in the next year or so. Instantly infectious from the first note to the last, the strength of their songs, performance and delivery turns a chatty crowd deathly silent, completely in awe of what this three-piece are doing on stage. From recent single ‘Husk’ to new track ‘I’m Not Well’, Black Foxxes have something very, very special about them. With the ability to go from soaring Xcerts-esque singalongs to emotionally charged quiet tracks, they’re capable of so much.

With such strong support acts, you’d think the pressure is on Milk Teeth, but after 89 days of touring at this point, across 11 countries, they come out swinging, looking fresher than ever and not missing a single note. Milk Teeth sound the best they’ve ever sounded tonight, raising the bar for a sold out show in front of many adoring fans, friends, and family,

Opening with a rousing rendition of ‘Brain Food’, it’s the venue-wide singalong of ‘Brickwork’ that leaves frontperson Becky Blomfield almost speechless at the love this audience has for them and their music. A heartfelt reminder on the importance of discussing one’s own mental health, and supporting those who are struggling, accompanies a deeply emotional rendition of ‘Kabuki’, which is respected with silent observation from the crowd. Throwing in deep cuts from the album and a few choice favourites from previous EPs, Milk Teeth’s set not only demonstrates how far they’ve come as a band but also how bright the future is for them.

Closing out with ‘No Fun’ and ‘Vitamins’, the party mood is in full swing – with the release of balloons and confetti cannons, and the floor of the Barfly bowing under the weight of an entire audience dancing along. Milk Teeth bring their best this evening, and it seems fairly obvious that they won’t be playing venues of this size on UK headliner tours for much longer.

CHRIS ROBINSON

The first two bands came from a show at the Old Blue Last, with Death Of An Artist opening things up. Despite being the first band on of a five band bill on a Sunday, there’s already a good crowd in the Barfly, and they do a fine job of kicking things off. It’s the first time we’ve seen the band live, and it’s pretty clear that they’ve got plenty to offer the UK scene, with a fairly fresh take on dropping melodic vocals into heavier music.

After their set flies by, we’re treated to something excellent next in a rampageous CB6 – originally heading up the Old Blue Last. The band, led by bassist/vocalist Ryan Monteith, deliver tracks from their new album ‘Succession’ with stacks of energy, and the one thing that really strikes about their undeniably London twinged take on US thrash is just how fucking tight they are live. It’s an absolute pleasure to watch a new band going at it with great guns, and we’re pretty sure they’re going to be filling venues this size in no time.

Next, we move on to bands originally scheduled in to play the Black Heart – the first of which is skate/hardcore band GIANTS. We’ve got them playing Southsea Fest in September, and tonight is a taster on just what they’re going to bring to the table – a wall of great riffs, speedy hardcore and big tunes. The band seem to have found their focus recently, and performances like this – on bills like this – will make them new fans very quickly indeed.

Last of the supports tonight are the ever entertaining Evergreen Terrace, they batter through a typically quite silly 40 ish minutes of dirty riffs and oddball stage banter, and get everyone suitably pumped for the headliner. By this point, the venue is absolutely rammed, so a few are struggling to see round the corner, we opt to duck out just before the end of Evergreen Terrace so that we get a good spot, and by the tme we get a prime position against the bar for the end of the show – we’re ready for the main event.

This is probably the smallest venue most of the people here will have ever seen Comeback Kid in, and the excitement in the room is pretty much something else. From the word go, the crowd are throwing themselves around the room, lapping up every moment, and the entire next hour is a blur of massive tunes and bodies/fists in the air. The circumstances that created the need for this gig weren’t the best, but it’s a happy accident that it’s led to a band like Comeback Kid playing this kind of show, because they seem right at home when they can smell the crowd. Not so unpredictably ending on ‘Wake The Dead’ to everyone in the room’s final bit of energy, the room goes off before the lights come back on to signal that 11pm is probably quite enough on a Sunday night… an amazing night all around, and one that no one here will forget for quite some time.

TOM AYLOTT

Support is delivered by Hampshire-based Yearbook and all-female four-piece Evarose; the first delivering an exciting – if not slightly confused – combination of surf-pop and Brand New-esque experimental rock. Yearbook hit all the right buttons with their quirky appeal and enchantingly awkward frontman (complete with a rather eye-catching Hawaiian style shirt); yet waver around too many musical directions to truly feel succinct. Both the opening and final track hint at something along the lines of the aforementioned Brand New or The Xcerts, but the meat of the set sits firmly within surf-pop – not quite reaching the level of the heavier sound. Despite this confusion, Yearbook are definitely an exciting prospect.

Evarose suffer from a continued onslaught of sound issues which significantly damage the overall experience. The entire set sounds as if it is being witnessed behind a screen, emanating out of the speakers with a frustratingly muffled tone. It is difficult to ascertain whether the sound levels are keeping Dannika Webber’s vocals hidden behind the supporting instruments, or whether this is the aftermath of twenty-plus dates on tour. Either way it is often impossible to hear the vocals, and the various instruments fail to provide any additional distinction.

As Straight Lines burst into opener ‘Half Gone’ it is clear that they are on form tonight. Delivering a set filled with choice tracks from both their albums, the Welsh lads are seemingly unaffected by their gruelling touring schedule. The sound issues of before are all but forgotten as Tom Jenkins’ vocals break through the easily discernible instrumentation. The vocal powerhouse who drives the sound is particularly powerful on the newer material, but the biggest crowd reaction is reserved for ‘Set Me On Fire And Feed Me To The Wolves’ and an acoustic(ish) version of ‘Runaway Now’. Although the crowd start proceedings off at a comparably slow pace, the band manage to expertly motivate until both audience and musicians alike are smiling.

Ending on ‘So Many Paths’ provides a suitably epic close to a skilfully accomplished performance; in recent months the band are clearly more comfortable delivering the larger sounds than the more simple compositions of their debut album. It remains a mystery as to why Straight Lines are yet to join contemporaries such as Deaf Havana and Twin Atlantic on the larger stages, but continuing like tonight is undoubtedly going to push them in the right direction.

BEN TIPPLE

Formed off the back of a desire to create an outlet for their musical expression, Mikey, Sam, Joe, Dave and James are ready to stir up the scene. What is refreshing about MKX is they just seem to be having so much fun and this is evident tonight throughout their more than established set.

Frontman Mikey Chapman states “I know we’re not everyone’s cuppa tea on a bill like this, but thanks for sticking around”. He has a point; the room is full of middle aged rockers with Motorhead t-shirts waiting with beer in hand for Reckless Love, Finland’s glam rock answer to Aerosmith. It is an unusual mix of young and old generations, but MKX still pull a crowd who know every word to every song. Mikey, despite having flu, as he declares with a thermos of Lemsip by his side, still manages to sing with the vocal depth and clarity that gives this band a cutting edge.

Having worked with Dan Lancaster (We Are The Ocean, Lower Than Atlantis) on their debut EP, the similarities are clear, but what MKX offer is refreshing and passionate. They are a band who know their feet are firmly on the ground.

First songs ‘Hello’ and ‘Resuscitate’ offer old fans and new a clinical offering into what MKX are all about, robust rock riffs with crisp, soaring and addictive vocals that get everyone singing along. It is honest, uplifting and bound to stick in your head. “Let’s teach everyone the words,” says Mikey during ‘Resuscitate’ as the 20 or so faithful at the front do their part.

‘Death Rattle’, a new release from their upcoming album, gets the biggest cheer of the night so far, an anthem of a singalong. Guitarist Joe shows his appreciation of a truly great set and a fantastic audience by mouthing thank you. The love is evident in the room and it’s infectious.

It is evident MKX are thankful for every gig, for every ticket sold, for every smile. They deserve to be. They are grinding out the shows and building a fan base. Watch out for Mallory Knox.

DAVE BULL

Opening up tonight’s performance are pop-rock upstarts Blitz Kids. Despite hanging around the circuit for some time the four-piece are yet to extend their reach into the mainstream. Judging by the demonstration of musical prowess particularly evident in the newer material, the band are more than ready to break through. Taking on a sessional guitarist, the sound is more extravagant than in the past – the exaggerated melodies serving to improve the overall impact of the sound. The enticing catchy melodies and arrangements take the forefront over the more simple compositions of older material, and by the time Blitz Kids relax into their thirty minute set they are undoubtedly on form.

LostAlone follow with a reasonably accomplished performance filled with theatrics – both in and out of the music. Frontman Steven Battelle lavishes the limelight, choosing to abandon the microphone altogether in favour of commanding complete silence in the energetic room. Surprisingly the response is minimal, yet when throwing himself into the middle of the crowd for his “original” wall of love he successfully garners more attention.

Musically the trio sit snuggly between indie and My Chemical Romance style melodrama. It is difficult to grasp where the style sits between the preceding pop-rockers and the headline act, and the mismatch is not lost on the audience. LostAlone certainly maintain the high volume that has characterised proceedings up to this point, however Battelle’s vocals begin to grind by the end of the set. The performance is spectacle rather than a demonstration of musical craftsmanship, and perhaps is more suited to the upcoming Evanescence support slot rather than tonight.

Australians around the capital would be roused by the energetic Australian chant which fills the Barfly eleven songs into the headline set. The camaraderie of the audience in responding to Jenna McDougall’s repeated “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” is indicative of the atmosphere at tonight’s show. There is an unmistakable feeling of understanding directed towards the various crowd interactions by the Tonight Alive front-woman, be they somewhat naïve and misguided at various points. Tonight Alive may appear superficial at times – a particularity associated with the pop-punk genre in general – but are determined to persuade the audience otherwise. Following a cautiously honest rendition of ‘Amelia’ the meaning in the lyrics is evidently not lost on any of the band members.

Musically Tonight Alive are on top form, juggling with changes in pace from track to track and even throwing in a cover of Rufio’s ‘In My Eyes’ early on. The guitars and drums have a tendency to drown out the vocals during the softer moments, and indeed during the speedier vocal sections, yet McDougall demands the majority of the attention by raising herself over the audience; front and centre. Presumably used to this, the remaining band members continue to provide close-to-flawless support to the powerful vocal lead. This power is enhanced throughout by a habitual echo effect which at times is overused, however there are only small lapses in vocal quality – again, mostly during the faster moments – which brings the prowess into question. As a whole the sound is aptly led by the dominating vocal chords.

Playing through a setlist containing the majority of ‘What Are You So Scared Of?’ along with the unavoidable Mumford and Sons cover of ‘Little Lion Man’, Tonight Alive deliver a crowd-pleasing performance. The sheer magnitude of the vocals – aided in part by effects – and the ability of the remaining four band members ensures the occasional spine-tingling moment. At times, Tonight Alive demonstrate the ability and dedication to become the next-big-thing in the female fronted pop-punk world.

BEN TIPPLE