Pop punk is so hot right now. The past few years have seen a revival of the much loved genre, with bands like The Story So Far, Real Friends, Tigers Jaw, and the disbanded Basement growing in popularity by the day. That being said, one of the bands that have found themselves among this wave is UK five-piece Neck Deep.
Imagine a room full of people with tattoos, body modifications, five panel caps, and shirts with the name of melodic hardcore bands you’ve probably never heard of – and that’s a fair description of the crowd gathered on a Thursday night at The Colonial Hotel.
Newcastle boys Trophy Eyes opened the night, a slot that’s always difficult to play. Despite performing to quite a small crowd, the five-piece killed it with their fast paced hardcore and punk sensibilities.
What was admirable about the band was their passion for the music, and their eagerness for crowd interaction.Their set involved a lot of young gentlemen toppling over one another and jumping into the crowd, seizing the opportunity to scream their hearts out. A perfect choice to get the crowd going, Trophy Eyes proved to be a tough act to follow.
Melbourne locals Strickland were next, following in the footsteps of Trophy Eyes with some pop punk packed full of teenage angst (although, these guys were probably in their 20s). Strickland seemed to lack the exuberance previously seen in Trophy Eyes; their crowd interaction was minimal and the punters seemed quite restless at the beginning of their set. Clean vocals were a nice contrast, and their punk sensibilities shone through with fast-paced riffs and shattering cymbals. Their set was over before you knew it, but you couldn’t help but be left thinking, “Trophy Eyes were better.”
Next up was another local band Trainwreck, and they came with brutal force; heavy riffs and bone-crunching breakdowns made themselves at home and turned the extensive crowd into a sea of angst and violence, with all aspects of a ‘throw down’ covered by audience members. As one avid Neck Deep fan put it, “That’s not moshing – that’s trying to hurt someone.” Needless to say, Trainwreck was the most explosive and ambitious band of the night.
With a “How the fuck are you doing Australia? We’re Neck Deep from the United England”, people swarmed in from all areas of the venue to get up close and personal with the UK lads. On their first ever Australian tour, Neck Deep teared the roof off with ambition and finesse. Crowd-surfing, gang vocals, pure rebellion, and angst: this was pop punk at its finest.
Having only formed last year, it’s outstanding the speed at which their fan base has grown. After not even halfway through their set, the area was packed shoulder-to-shoulder. Just about everyone was clambering on top of one another to reach vocalist Ben Barlow and aid him in singing tracks like ‘Tables Turned’ and ‘Over And Over’.
The characteristic that seems to be most loved about Neck Deep is their humility. The band has an unrivalled passion for music, and they’re extremely grateful for the opportunities they have to travel the world and share their own compositions. They spoke of their love for Australia and the koala tattoos they each got to commemorate their time here.
In the wake of their debut album Wishful Thinking (due to hit shelves next year), their set was comprised of work from their EPs and some new material, pumping out track after track about relationships, family life, and everything that pop punk manages to cover.
Dani Washington is to be commended for absolutely pummelling the kit. His drum patterns were what you’d see if you crossed Blink-182 with The Amity Affliction, whilst other members Lloyd Roberts, Matt West, and Fil Thorpe-Evans delivered riffs and bass lines that would be difficult to match.
With free pizza available and a night of stereotypical songs about girls and getting out of your hometown, Neck Deep & co made it fairly clear that (pop) punk isn’t dead – a highly enjoyable night that left the crowd buzzing.
