The anthemic opening track from their ‘With Hopes Of Starting Over’ EP, ‘Leaving’ kicks things off, and boy do TSL sound good. At first glance this is the identikit Drive Thru band the detractors claim – pop-punk at its singalong best – but The Starting Line do what they do very well. ‘Leaving’ is a great song and it’s belted out with enthusiasm. Vocalist Kenny is a star in the making, both a pin-up for the girls and a bona fide rock star for the boys. He has all the qualities of the perfect frontman, endless energy and a great voice. It certainly seems as though he’s paid close attention to NFG’s Jordan Pundik, as both know how to get the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands. ‘Greg’s Last Day’, also from the EP, is blasted out with confidence and again is a hit in waiting.

The best song of the set award, however, goes to their stonking cover of Jennifer Lopez’s ‘I’m Real’. Featured on the ‘Punk Goes Pop’ compilation, and introduced by Kenny as “the way to cover rap songs,” the foursome burst into a powerful rendition, complete with rap-style verses and Kenny’s classic shout of “holler!” before the first verse. Not an easy song to pull off live, but not only do TSL do it with ease, they make it sound like their own song. They may be barely out of school, but The Starting Line play with a confidence and ability that belittles their youth. Single ‘Three’s A Charm’ goes down a storm, sparking a mini singalong by those at the front who are already familair with the band. Showing a more mature side to their songwriting, the song’s catchier than syphilis chorus sparks a mini riot and a sea of surfers in the crowd.

With their debut full-lengther due out in the summer, a couple of new tracks are aired and they sound great. One in particular sounded very anthemic and will certainly be worth checking out. The new-old song ‘Left Coast Envy’ is also bashed out with enthusiasm, with guitarists Mike and Matt bouncing riffs off of each other as if there is no tomorrow. After the gig Matt told me he thought they sounded bad…I assured him they didn’t. There is even enough time for New Found Glory singer Jordan to appear on stage and join in vocal duties on one track.

Things unceremoniously end with a triumphant version of ‘Cheek To Cheek’ with Nate Barcalow of Finch helping out in the vocal department. At the end of the song Kenny flies into a fit of rage, bouncing around the stage with reckless abandon before ending up in a heap on the floor, bass buzzing with feedback. Quite a way to end a brilliant set.

The Starting Line aren’t quite the real deal, but they certainly are not that far off. After their set they eagerly watched on as New Found Glory strutted their stuff, and under their watchful gaze TSL can go as far as they like. Certainly a band to keep an eye on this summer. And beyond…

Paul Savage

This supporting jaunt with NFG is the first time Finch have made it to the UK, and having already played big venues in the US on the back of the success of single ‘Letters To You’, they look well at ease with the stage and 800+ crowd. Their third gig of the tour, I had heard mixed reviews about the opening two nights, but I needn’t have worried. Finch were almost spot-on.

Opening with the bonus track on the new record, ‘What It Is To Burn’ is perhaps a strange choice, but the band blast it out to a fairly unsuspecting crowd, possibly expecting another identikit pop-punk band. But as soon as Nate Barcalow screams “she burns,” you know there is a little bit more to this So-Cal fivesome than simple up-tempo songs about girls. Guitarist Randy, or R2K as he prefers to be known as, is a tangled mess throughout; jumping, twisting and generally acting like a maniac. Nate himself is also leaping around like a crazed loon, putting absolutely everything into the performance. And the way he switches from singing to the most piercing of screams is unbelievable. Dynamically Finch have it spot-on, even if it’s not appreciated by all of the crowd. Some of the idiots behind me heckled throughout which was completely unnecessary. If you don’t like them, don’t listen. Just don’t ruin it for everyone else.

‘Post Script’ is also hammered out with precision, with vocals switching between Nate and Randy. Again the dynamics are breathtaking, one minute heavier than lead, the next sweet and sensitive. ‘Grey Matter’ is just pure brute force, proving that Drive Thru bands can do hardcore just as well as they do pop-punk. Kenny from The Starting Line lends a hand on vocal duties, but things get even heavier with ‘Project Mayhem’ which is just absolutely beserk. How Nate can get such a bowel moving sound out of such a tiny frame is amazing. Sandwiched in between the two was an as-yet-untitled new song, which hints at the band moving into more melodic territory. It still has all the hallmarks of Finch, the quiet/loud bits and the brilliant vocals, but it sounds like a more mature band.

I think ‘Three Simple Words’ was played at some point too, but being so absorbed in such a great performance, I can’t really remember. One song they did play though was ‘Letters To You’, one of the best songs I’ve heard in ages. It’s also a track with is destined to be all over MTV2 very soon. Introduced by Randy as “an English American singalong”, it unfortunately seemed to again go over the heads of many, which is a shame as Finch blasted this out with such emotion and brute force that it really did mean something. The best Finch song tonight hands down and amongst a myriad of great performances, that is really saying something.

There were a couple of minor faux pas. The set as a whole didn’t quite flow brilliantly and if only two of the other members had put the effort into it like Nate and Randy, you’d have a five star performance. Technically brilliant, everything except the ‘x’ factor is here. At the merch counter at the end of the set, copies of the new CD were selling faster than hotcakes. I think that is all the proof you need. Finch – today Sheffield, tomorrow the world…

Paul Savage

Unfortunately for this tour, guitarist Chad Gilbert has been forced to sit out due to a bad case of tonsilitis, and was replaced by his guitar tech, and roommate, Steve. Chad’s presence on stage with NFG is amazing, leaping and contorting his body every which way, playing the perfect foil to singer Jordan and portly bassist Ian Grushka. But tonight, without Chad, there’s a little something missing. Newcomer Steve fills in admirably but he’s no Chad…

Walking on to rapturous applause, guitarist Steve Klein kicks things off with the intro riff for ‘Ballad For The Lost Romantics’, setting the scene for absolute carnage, both on the stage and in the crowd. Jordan and Ian bound around the stage like madmen and drummer Cyrus Bolooki pounds his kit as if his life depended on it. A sea of crowdsurfers swamp the security guards and the pit at the front is a mass of thriving bodies jumping and singing along with gusto. Not only do NFG connect so well with their fans, they treat them like old friends. And when the intro to ‘Better Off Dead’ is ripped out, things get taken up a notch again as absolute mayhem descends. And you can hear the crowd sing every word. “Ash his heart onto the ground, pull his guts out in frustration,” is yelled back at Jordan, who despite a few technical glitches, is on top form all night.

Tonight’s gig is typical NFG. Jordan interacts with the crowd, there’s tomfoolery in abundance, comedy dancing from Ian and a vast selection of pop-punk perfection. ‘Dressed To Kill’, ‘Sincerely Me’ and ‘Hit Or Miss’ get huge welcomes from the fans, as does ‘The Neverending Story Theme’, which for one night only becomes ‘Bloody Fucking Sunday’. An interesting change… The biggest cheer of the night goes up for Kenny Vasoli of The Starting Line who switches to bass for one track. Stripped down to just his pants, Jordan gets all the girls to scream for Kenny. They duly oblige and the band rip it up again.

There’s also a smattering of new songs, seeing as though new record ‘Sticks and Stones’ is released in June. Current single ‘My Friend’s Over You’ is played as an encore, and two other newie’s are also aired. The first, which I don’t know the name, is typical NFG, punky, perky and poppy. The second, ‘Head On Collision’, is an absolute monster of a song, with a thunderous riff and is destined to be a fans favourite. If all the songs are as good as this, ‘Sticks and Stones’ will be a very good record indeed.

‘Sucker’ and a brilliant ‘Boy Crazy’ follow on, as hit after hit is blasted out leaving very little time to draw breath. ‘Vegas’, inroduced as “a song about gambling” by Steve Klein, is also top drawer stuff. Unfortunately there are a few technical glitches with the sound. Jordan’s vocals were sometimes too low in the mix and guitarist Steve had problems with his guitar. Steve Klein was even forced to change his guitar midway through a song. Despie this, they carried on as if nothing had happened, testament to how professional they really are.

Coming back for a three song encore, you really don’t want NFG to leave. But the news that they will be back in August is a tonic. ‘Broken Sound’ is the first of the three, but new guitarist Steve messes up the intro, and Jordan’s voice isn’t quite spot on. New single ‘My Friend’s Over You’ is blasted out, but despite heavy rotation on MTV2, isn’t recognised by all that many fans, which is a shame because it is NFG at their best. Closing with ‘Glory Of Love’ is a masterstroke, NFG’s best cover and a personal favourite.

Sheffield wasn’t treated to the best NFG performance I have seen, probably due to the lack of Chad. But still this is quite possibly one of the most entertaining live bands on planet pop-punk at the moment. And with 1000 punters leaving with smiles on their faces, you know full well that Reading and Leeds could well be their crowning moment.

Paul Savage