It’s been a long time since we were this excited about a show. That’s right Yashin are back! We may have seen their set at Takedown Festival but come on festivals aren’t the same as headline shows. And we have been waiting bloody ages for tonight, but first there’s the matter of two pretty amazing up and coming UK bands.
The One Hundred are a band we have heard a lot about- listened to -but not seen. Tonight that has all changed! The band combine the heavy riffs reminiscent of the best metal core bands with the genre blending of Enter Shikari and the big drops and breakdowns of Hacktivist. They’re like a love child that’s is even better than all of it’s parents. They aren’t a band for standing still with Jacob throwing his arms around and jumping that an overactive teenager whose just eaten all his halloween candy. The bands latest single ‘Kingsman’ defines the set from the almost rap like beginning to some of the heaviest beats we have heard in a long time. The One Hundred fill a place in our hearts that we didn’t even know was empty!
I Divide tonight have a point to prove. Why you should buy their debut album which is out in 13 days as Tom reminds us- and if our review alone didn’t convince you then their live set should. Tom’s voice is sadly slightly lost through a low microphone and instruments which overpowered him but there are enough softer moments for it to shine. I Divide play the sort of music that sounds familiar enough to dance (or mosh) to, even if you’ve never heard their album. ‘Follow Me’ provides a shout back from the crowd that they should be proud of and latest single ‘I’m Not Leaving’ instigates a mosh pit that covers the whole lower standing area. Mirroring what happened at Takedown we saw even more bloodshed from the crowd. Everyone participates in a way we didn’t expect considering that musically they aren’t as heavy as Yashin and half the crowd probably haven’t heard of them before. But it’s a massively welcoming sight.
But now it’s time! The set list tonight is tightly bound from older classics like ‘Get Loose’ and ‘Stand Up’ (which chokes us up every time!) through to brand new single ‘D.E.A.D’, B-side ‘Lady Carousel’ and a brand new spanking track which we didn’t catch the name of. (We were too busy head banging!) Tonight almost feels like Yashin have never been away. Bounding round the overcrowded stage Kevin Miles and Harry Radford’s voices fit together so perfectly and it’s even more evident on the acoustic tracks they play tonight. As if on cue the crowd sink to the ground as Harry nestles himself on the floor in the middle of everyone to sing acoustic track ‘SOS’: showcasing to anyone who thought Kevin was a one trick pony that can he can sing! (It’s not all auto-tune: Hooray!) The acoustic tracks work perfectly in a venue like the Borderline and gives us (and the band) chance for a quick breather.
It doesn’t matter how many times we hear tracks from ‘Put Your Hands Were I Can See Them’ in the five or six years we have been watching Yashin live, it never gets boring and every time sounds fresher than ever. Yashin rightly should be selling out venues a lot bigger than the Borderline in the lead up to their next album. And we are bloody excited to be in for the journey!
Review by: Rhian Westbury
