Live Review: New Found Glory - Solus, Cardiff (18/08/11)
Support for New Found Glory comes firstly in the form of Newport’s Save Your Breath playing for a more or less hometown crowd. Unfortunately their early spot on the bill meant that gig-goers were still streaming in whilst the band were already playing. Older songs like Stay Young got a much warmer reaction than their newer and lesser known material from new album Vices. Save Your Breath are forerunners in the UK pop-punk scene and should have have a much better response than they did.
Next up are Ireland’s new wave indie band, Fight Like Apes. On any normal day they’d have come away with a great review, however, they were misplaced as the main support. From the drawn out instrumental intro to their closing notes the mood of the show was somewhat dampened.
It seems that no two New Found Glory shows are the same - in most part thanks to their extensive back catalog jam packed with pop-punk gems. Tonight the band kick off proceedings with Something I Call Personality and Don’t Let Her Pull You Down. The set is littered with catchy classics like All Downhill From Here and Head On Collision but it’s the ever-popular singles, saved for the encore, Hit or Miss and My Friends Over You that get the crowd moving the most.
It’s only when seeing New Found Glory live that you realize that it’s not just the singles that are perfectly crafted and executed pop-punk masterpieces. Dig My Own Grave and Truth of My Youth are fan favorites which most bands would kill to have as leading singles. The band's latest single, Radiosurgery, is well received despite only being released a few weeks ago and leaves the audience excited for their new album (of the same name) to drop this October.
Whilst the between song discussion talks of the band’s recognition and admiration of those hardcore fans who’ve stuck around since the start, sadly tonight anything from the band's cracking 1999 debut Nothing Gold Can Stay is missing. However, that said, it’s crazy to think they’ve been doing this for twelve years and are still pulling in new and young crowds as the majority of the Cardiff crowd were under 25 - a true testament to the long lasting lustre of the band.
Chantelle 'Kiki' Goodchild
