Photo by Jos Hurley
It’s below freezing outside but doing their best to warm the crowd up on Being As An Ocean’s celebratory tour for their landmark album Dear G-d are Acres. Playing something between alt rock and post-hardcore, their songs aim for anthemic and certainly connect with a good portion of the small but gathering crowd. The mix is to their detriment though; it’s anaemic and robs much of the guitar’s punch, while vocally they’re not always confident sounding and even sometimes a little flat. In spite of it all, their earnestness does carry them most of the way through.
Photo by Jos Hurley
As Everything Unfolds are a band whose star is very much on the ascent, and tonight’s support slot – their first time playing Camden’s prestigious Underworld – hammers that home further, especially with their huge new singles, Felt Like Home and Blossom. They’re rockstars in the making, playing with an enthusiasm and love of live that’s infectious and gets plenty of voices raised to sing along and people moving to dance or pit. The mix suffers none of the issues of before; it’s crystal clear and there’s a sheer presence to their sound that fills the room with ease. Not everyone here knew them before tonight, but as they close with the smash On the Inside, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone not looking them up on the way home.
Photo by Jos Hurley
As you’d expect, the biggest cheers and pits are reserved for headliners Being As An Ocean. They’re celebrating ten years of career-defining album Dear G-d so naturally they draw heavily on it for the setlist. Opening with a raucous Nothing, Save The Power They’re Given and the record’s title track it becomes apparent very quickly just how much their music resonates with the crowd before them. Even at the back, people are bellowing along with the heartwrenching line “I’m trying my best / to be a better man”. Third song L’exquisite douleur is dedicated to frontman Joel Quartuccio’s wife and he triple checks tonight’s stream of the show is working with a heartfelt, simple “I love you” that strengthens the emotional pull of the song hugely.
Photo by Jos Hurley
At first it’s somewhat incongruous hearing people cheering on the football in between bands but that stereotype is dismantled easily the second BAAO are on stage. The sold out room sings back every word and don’t stop moving at all; the early curfew and hour-long set ensuring the band aren’t the only ones who give it every ounce of energy. For a short time, the room are all transported back to 2012, reminiscing not only about the album but lives. For all the bands that launched careers in the fertile ground of the early 2010s post-hardcore scene and before, Being As An Ocean have lost none of their appeal or emotional resonance. They prove there’s far more than nostalgia to them, celebrating every album alongside the debut that introduced them to the world; the sold out Underworld and electrifying atmosphere more than prove that.