Thursday the 30^thof October 2014; the Camden nightlife is buzzing, the air outside is cold and I am dragging my reluctant 46 year old father to see hardcore rock band Escape The Fate. It’s been a good long while since I’ve been to a concert, and ETF has been on my list of bands-I-need-to-see-live-before-I-kick-the-bucket lists for quite some time now.

Support bands were Californian rockers New Year’s Day and British quartet Glamour Of the Kill. Both were astounding and the perfect warm-up for the main act. New Year’s Day kicked off the night with various songs, including numbers from their most recent album ‘Victim To The Villain’ (2013). Personally, I’m not such a big fan of some female-fronted bands, but NYD have definitely changed my mind about that. Front-woman Ashley Costello possesses an amazing vocal range and a somewhat unique voice, with slight similarities to that of Lacey Strum (ex. Flyleaf), or at least that’s what I thought. Glamour Of The Kill followed – with a few songs akin to The Blackout – but very enjoyable regardless.

Escape The Fate began their set with ‘You’re Insane’, from the album ‘Ungrateful’ (2013), which was a great start to the evening’s main event. After that was ‘Gorgeous Nightmare’ and ‘10 Miles Wide’, both complete with awesome guitar solos and an abundance of jumping/headbanging from the crowd.

You’d expect your average band to perhaps falter a few notes after this time, especially as it was their last day of tour, but Escape The Fate kept their performance constantly flawless throughout, with front man Craig Mabbit’s voice not spiralling out of tune at any time, which is rather impressive considering his duty of both singing and occasional screaming.

Next was ‘Live Fast, Die Beautiful’; also from ‘Ungrateful’, with powerful riffs and a catchy chorus, followed by ‘Until We Die’ before moving onto ‘Picture Perfect’ – a much slower, mellower tune in comparison with their usual material. It’s one of my personal favourites, with clever lyrics and a memorable melody (not to mention it was co-written by Patrick Stump….I mean, what’s not to like), and being able to see it performed live was incredible.

Getting back into the more ‘old school’ songs, was ‘Ashley’ with guest vocals from Ashley of New Year’s Day. It’s definitely one of ETF’s more pop punk-inspired numbers, adding a little spice to the otherwise slightly monotonous genre of post-hardcore. Later on came ‘The Flood’ and ‘Fire It Up’ – both being quite popular with the crowd. Penultimate was ‘Ungrateful’ and finally ‘One For The Money’ with choruses that just get you pumped up and let you go home with that post-concert feel good vibe.

Overall, it was an amazing set, not to mention completely flawless; you can’t really expect any less from Escape The Fate. With numerous mosh pits, circle pits and even a wall of death, it’s really interesting to see how people show their appreciation for good music. A huge pat on the back for all the musicians also, as without them it wouldn’t have been the same. Definitely a concert I will remember for a good few years to come!

New Years Day – for fans of In This Moment, Flyleaf
Glamour Of The Kill – for fans of The Blackout, The Used

Review by Jasmine Ritchie

Interview with drummer Robert Ortiz from 2013

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

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Power Plays w/c 28 October 2024

THE RASMUS Rest In Pieces (Better Noise Music)
THE PLAGUE What Else Can I Do (FiXT)
STAR CIRCUS Turn The Tide (indie)
DEFENCES Breathe It In (Long Branch Records)

Featured Albums w/c 28 October 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)