It’s day two at London’s Warped Tour and it’s time to brush those tired eyes and get back to the wonderful Alexandra Palace for another day of wonder. There were rumors flying round all day about the ‘secret’ set by a little band called A Day To Remember: some people said they were to play the Punktastic stage which thankfully didn’t happen otherwise it would have been a disaster but instead a middle of the afternoon three track acoustic set on the Jagermeister stage sufficed. Today also marked the day that gave Watsky his name in the rock world. After climbing to the top of the lighting rig and jumped. Stupid mistake or publicity stunt: we’re still undecided. But regardless today was a fantastic day of music. Check out what we made of it.
Monster West Stage
Watsky & Wax
The band with no previous information on Facebook, a number of people were betting this was the secret set of A Day To Remember, how wrong they were! Watsky and Wax (aka Michael Jones) does not fit the standard rapper that is stereotyped into mainstream culture.
A background of slam poetry could only give the show such a complete alternative band to listen to on main stage. His infectious energy made their set something remembered (despite falling off stage) with lyrics that have a mixture of sincerity and humour, one to watch only if he doesn’t fall off stage! 7/10 SP
Hatebreed
The real question was is London ready for metal hardcore. Needless to say the crowd provided the crowd surfers, the fans, the sweat and the passion that have kept Hatebreed to be prominent in the music scene.
With ‘Live For This’ and ‘In Ashes They Will Reap’, lyrics, “I was born to bleed, fighting to succeed” captured the moment. The gritty sounding guitars and presence from the entire band had such an impact that many of the crowd had to be pulled out, nothing kept lead singer Jamey Jasta from bellowing out the lyrics that have made Hatebreed a known name for nearly a decade! 8/10 SP
While She Sleeps
This next band have been ripping apart venues relentlessly for the last 18 months and are quite possibly one of Britain’s best metal bands at the moment. While She Sleeps brought their destructive live show to the UK version of the warped tour, after spending the summer stateside. Putting them on the West Stage was a perfect fit, with tracks like ‘Seven Hills’ sounding like they belong in a huge setting. Shit was lost and bodies were battered, something that is becoming a trademark with this band. Utter carnage! 9/10 JH
Enter Shikari
Headlining an entire event has been a long time coming for Enter Shikari- a feat well deserved. Alexandra Palace is the perfect venue for such an event, the lighting alone is worth dancing around the venue for: it’s a feast for the eyes. The fantastic thing about tonight’s thirteen song set was the diverse grouping of tracks from the monster claps and early beats of ‘Sorry You’re Not A Winner’ to newest track ‘The Paddington Frisk’ through to ‘Solidarity’ which the band haven’t played in a while.
Enter Shikari show the perfect combination of performance and music molding a great set with the performance you can’t stop watching. Where truly can Enter Shikari go next?! 9/10 RW
Monster East Stage
We Are The Ocean
After watching the idiot Watsky jump 40ft into the crowd, with a nail-biting interval whilst we waited for the all clear from the adrenaline junkie, the crowd were doubly glad to see We Are The Ocean stride onto the stage. The Essex lads looked very at ease on their home turf, kicking straight off with ‘Trouble’ followed by yet another vocally incredible performance of their smash hit ‘Bleed’! Perhaps it was the tremendous atmosphere of a palace filled with hard rock fans, but it certainly seemed like WATO bought Vans Warped Tour their hardest show to date. This definitely came through especially in ‘Machine’ and ‘The Road’, with heavy riffs and gravelly tones. These boys have so much musical talent, that it really is a blessing they grew up in good ol’ Essex, and not over in Chelsea – as Liam Cromby’s voice would have been just lovely on a west end stage! So thank F*CK he found rock music instead! To demonstrate that set of lungs he has on him, the band finished up with a provocative and finely executed ‘Young Heart’ totally utilising every inch of stage and speaker. If WATO come to a town near you, you’d be ridiculous to miss the opportunity to go and revel in their down-to-earth nature, musical talent and incredible rock ability. 10/10 LH
Coheed and Cambria
Coheed and Cambria just came out and demolished the East Stage, their sound was probably one of the best over the whole weekend. They brought a mixed setlist from old classics to new releases, which all sounded massive and closing with ‘Welcome Home’ was just pure genius. Lead singer Claudio Sanchez has hair that would put any Lion’s mane to shame, its surprising he can sing and play guitar with hair like that, but nonetheless he is a raw talent! 8/10 JH
Jagermeister Stage
Decade
Decade had the tough job of opening the Jagermeister stage first thing, but it also meant they were playing when no-one else was. They certainly added more fans to their following, they came out and got the crowd bouncing to their catchy pop punk songs, with ‘Callous’ and ‘Brainfreeze’ perfect for getting people off their feet. Frontman Alex Sears got up close and personal with the crowd, jumping down to get properly involved with the fans. 8/10 JH
Ghost Town
I saw a lot of faces I recognised from the previous day and a lot of new faces here to check out the second ever UK set by Ghost Town, this time the set is full band. They started their set with ‘Party In The Graveyard’ which is also the name of their first major label release which would come out November 19th. The crowd went wild for ‘You’re So Creepy’ once again, and the band played fan favourites such as ‘Monster’ and ‘Dreamer’. By the end of the set they has won over the majority of the audience. 9/10 KE
The Hype Theory
The Hype Theory, a tidy four piece from Essex (Chelmsford way) were ready to make their presence known at Jagermeister stage day two of Warped Tour and there was nothing but sheer enjoyment from them. They have a real American sound of the genre and have the ability to reach further in the industry. With the voice from Katy Jackson, it’s fantastic to see a female lead to sing with infectious melodies and punk pop ingrained in the whole band and essentially drawing attention from the open area. Despite being a young band in a sea of experience during the weekend, already they have proven that they can provide British pop punk at it’s best. 8/10 SP
Hacktivist
The Jagermeister stage was the latest to fall victim to the hacktivist movement, which has picked up so much pace in the last year. The band who are their own genre, they amassed one of the biggest crowds to the stage all over the weekend and they nearly tore the roof down. Their sound is unlike any band out there at the moment, its a right face melter, the sound is just spine tingling and they are a band not to be messed with, it was completely nuts, oh and that ‘Niggas In Paris’ cover is something else! 10/10 JH
A Day To Remember
This was probably the worst kept secret of the entire weekend, as the news broke A Day To Remember were to do an acoustic set on the Jagermeister stage, the room was packed to the rafters. As Jeremy McKinnon, Neil Westfall & Kevin Skaff came out to perform some acoustic version of their songs, the crowd was gleaming as they played us songs from the brilliant new album ‘Common Courtesy’, it was over far too soon, we wanted more but hey it was short but my god it was very very sweet! The sing-a-longs were huge and the guys were really enjoying a more chilled out set, despite McKinnon busting some moves while sitting, it was perfection! 10/10 JH
Yellowcard
On a smaller stage today, a bit of a change from Saturday but still Yellowcard managed to really rock the show! The band again played the same 10 song set list they had played the previous day, but with the same intensity and passion, that is often see with Yellowcard. The fans came out in full force again to support the band in their 10-year celebration of ‘Ocean Avenue’. With the smaller stage its easier for the band to connect to each other and the fans. With more onstage interaction between the band members the set just feels more like your typical Yellowcard show. 10/10 KE
The Skints
London based reggae, ska, dub and hip-hop band The Skints have come a long way and to be at Warped Tour. With the sweet talking yet electrifying Marcia Richards being vocalist as well as playing Saxophone, Keyboard and Flute, it’s insulting that they have a lack of recognition. With better-known songs ‘Bright Girl’ and ‘Murderer’ not included in the set list, which answered why the gig lacked as so much anticipation was towards the band. However the music was refreshing, to draw away from pop punk and metal, to be treated with such a delight and ending on ‘Culture Vulture’. 7/10 SP
Kevin Says Stage
Page 44
Being on so early in a day can sometimes be a curse for a band but in Page 44’s case it’s actually a blessing because it means there’s little competition on the other stages. The bands pop punk songs are bouncy, head bopping and truly infectious: it’s the sort of set where you don’t know any of the songs but you’ll leave thinking you do! Watch out for these lads in 2014. 8/10 RW
Max Raptor
The depths of the Kevin Says Stage is the perfect place to hear some punk and Max Raptor bring the funky riffs to Warped! The unparalleled aggression emanating from the stage and from Ray’s mouth gets the crowd pumped and the mosh pit opening. The bands album ‘Mothers Ruin’ hasn’t been out long but tracks such as ‘England Breathes’ and ‘The King Is Dead’ still sound as big as an old classic. It’s bands like Max Raptor who could really show some of the main stage bands how to put on a showstopping performance. 9/10 RW
The First
Being seen less than 18 months ago at The Garage Venue in North London to now be part of Kerrang’s stage at Warped Tour, it’s hardly surprising why rockers The First were on the list of bands to see. With vocalist Benny Salter taking to stage as a second home, his engagement with the crowd, Ben Knowles on guitar was quite frankly sublime whilst drummer Rob Knight was impressive amongst it all. To end their set with Benny surrounded by the crowd who appraised such an excellent live performance, its easy to say a must see live and a must album to buy! 9/10 SP
Reviews by: James Hingle, Rhian Westbury, Kayla Elliot, Lois Honeywell & Skye Portman
Photos by: Skye Portman & Kayla Elliot
