If you listen to modern pop punk, then you’ll know exactly who the band Neck Deep is. Hailing all the way from Wrexham, UK, they came through Vegas on just the third night of The Peace and The Panic USA Tour. Supporting acts were Stand Atlantic, WSTR and Trophy Eyes.
One of my new personal favorites was Stand Atlantic. The three piece, female-fronted band from Sydney, Australia demonstrated that they belong on that stage that night. A big highlight was “Coffee at Midnight,” from their EP Sidewinder. Frontwoman Bonnie Fraser sang the opening lyrics
“I don’t wanna say goodbye,
Can we just say goodnight?
Tell me how to change your mind
Over coffee at midnight”
as fans lost their minds and screamed it right back at them.
Forming in 2014, the trio has made a name for themselves rather quickly by the crowd response, from propelling energy in every direction, the jumping around and people singing their music. The audience loved them.
As their set was coming to an end they played another top song “Chemicals” and then “Lavender Bones,” a song off their newest album Skinny Dipping coming out October 26th. If you haven’t seen or heard the band I highly recommend it, and I see big things happening for them in the near future.
Onto WSTR, a four piece who came all the way from Liverpool, England to rock everyone’s faces off. They opened their set with “Tell Me More,” the first track off their newest album Identity Crisis, with a pummeling, poppy riff and hoppy beat. Throwing in more new songs to promote the new record were “Crisis,” “Bad to the Bone” and “Silly Me.” Older crowd favorites also made their way into the set, including “Footprints,” “Featherweights” and “Eastbound and Down.” Once they were coming to an end they let the crowd have it and let them go berserk one last time, closing with their debut album Red, Green, or Inbetween hit “Lonely Smiles.”
Local photographer Meredith Hall (@mediabymere) had this to say about the band:
“After seeing WSTR earlier this year in their home country, I didn’t have the highest expectations for their crowd in Las Vegas. But people really did turn out for the British pop punkers and they put on a high energy performance in return.” That they did.
Afterwards was a band with a different, heavier punk rock sound: Trophy Eyes, from Newcastle. Frontman John Floreani sings in a baritone vocal, making him sound like Jim Kerr of Simple Minds.
They entered the stage with “A Cotton Candy Sky.” The crowd was roaring in anticipation for song number two, titled “You Can Count On Me.” Just about everyone in the venue was shouting “Some of my friends sell drugs but, I just sell sad song to the ones who feel alone, you can count on me when it all goes wrong.”
The band played mostly songs from their new album The American Dream like “More Like You,” “Miming in the Choir,” and “Lavender Bay.” After sprinkling in some older favorites like “Chlorine,” the band closed out their set with fan favorite “Friday Forever.” I became a fan after seeing them play.
Last but not least was the main event: Neck Deep. After their bassist Fil Thorpe-Evans quit just a few days prior before the tour start, ND was still able to pull off playing as a four piece. Not a single person seemed to mind at all. They delivered all the same energy they’ve always had on the stage.
The tour was named after their 2017 release The Peace and The Panic. Entering the stage with “Motion Sickness” from that album, they sent the crowd punchy riffs and gripping hooks throughout the night. Next was “Gold Steps” off their 2015 album Life’s Not out to Get You. Then we got more favorites like “Crushing Grief (No Remedy)” and “Candour” from Wishful Thinking and going all the way back to Rain In July with “What Did You Expect? and “Over and Over”. Of course they brought in the sadness by adding “December” into the mix. As the night was coming to an end, singer Ben Barlow announced that “In Bloom” would be the last song of the night as he air quoted “last song.”
By no surprise, Neck Deep left the stage and come back within minutes for their last two encore songs “Can’t Kick Up The Roots” and “Where Do We Go When We Go.” The UK pop punkers definitely know how to make their shows an enormous amount of fun.
-Kyle Voigt
Photos by Cameron Gile | https://www.instagram.com/camerongile/
Neck Deep
Trophy Eyes
Stand Atlantic
WSTR
Half the songs stated as “played” we definitely not played…this is for each band stated.