New Found Glory at Electric Ballroom
Pop punk may very well seem like it's not for grown ups. It's the music you can listen to through your youth. As we get older life becomes more about mortgages and council tax, ironing your shirts correctly and having 'just the one because I need an early night'. So how is it that after over a decade of New Found Glory we can still lose our shit and regress to that wonderfully haven like place of our younger years with a single note of 'Hit or Miss'? Time may have moved on, but this is a band that can still convincingly deliver an incredible live show and a huge hit of happiness to their loyal and adoring fan base.
Before hitting Reading and Leeds festivals, London's Electric Ballroom were treated to a set packing as much energy as a red bull eating a trough full of Pro Plus. They burst out with the high paced chug of 'Understatement' and the packed crowd exploded into movement - it would be a soaring start to a night that would see many voices sung hoarse. New Found Glory have never gone on stage and left their fans disappointed, restoring faith in those of us who have been left aghast and heartbroken by the likes of Blink-182 and Four Year Strong in recent years. It's amazing to think that they sound just as good as they did at their first little peak of popularity around seven or eight years ago. There really must be something being pumped into the air conditioning on the NFG tour bus.
Another aspect of their live performance which deserves much praise is the clear catering to what their fans want to hear. This is a band who have got a new album on the way, and in most cases you can expect to be battered with a long period of songs you've never heard of leaving the crowd with no opportunity to be involved. Instead, we just got to hear the welcome addition of new track 'Radiosurgery' amid a constant stream of classic hits and a couple of cheeky covers in the shape of 'Kiss Me' and a sage nod to the godfathers of punk with 'Blitzkrieg Bop'. Such consideration for what their fans want, as well as the evergreen sound of tracks like 'Sincerely Me', the melodic crunch of 'Truck Stop Blues' and the madness-inducing 'Intro' are the factors which allow New Found Glory to remain as such a deeply loved band for so many. There is no end in sight and we can only hope that the forthcoming record will give us many more songs to sing along to in future years.