Concorde 2, 30th November 2009
We Are The Ocean are a band I have seen rise like a ferocious, phoenix of screamo/post-hardcore rock out of the ashes (where many juvenile, like-minded bands from the ‘MySpace era’ rest).The quintet were once valued only as a slightly faulty Alexisonfire but they didn’t take the criticism to heart, and rightly so. After tireless touring, undeniable hard work across shores with big-time producers, the Harlow screaming sensations were more than ready to grace the Concorde 2 with one of their renowned riotous performances and I admit, I was just as excited.
Kicking off tonight’s proceedings were the humble All Forgotten who were relatively mild in front of a weakened thrumming crowd. Thorne’s powered vocals in ‘At A Guess, I’m Second Best’ just didn’t seem enough to ignite the crowd and his band mates were fairly slack in disappointment. The Amity Affliction originally from Australia the band were keen to make every second count and seemed to bring some heat with a punchy collaboration of instruments and style.
All Forgotten
The timid crowd just didn’t seem to be keeping their side of the bargain. That was until the sea of faithful followers caught sight of the lead singer of the ‘WATO’ boys, Dan Brown thrust upon stage. It can be noted that We Are The Ocean maintain a relatively ‘pretty’ exterior, lead guitarist Alfie Scully especially, but the furious riffs and skull-smashing sound they form isn’t so boy-band perfect.
In set highlight ‘Save Me Said The Saviour’ Brown’s eternal energy exploded the small confines of the Concorde stage and he thrashed into action as if it was something he had been waiting to do his entire life. The boundless band were eager to unleash their main asset Liam Cromby at any given opportunity, his stellar clean vocals in ‘Confessions’ would be worthy of credit in any music scene.
The raging delivery of tracks such as ‘God Damn Good’, ‘Don’t Be Careless’ and new single ‘Look Alive’ helped prove my original memory of them being a stunning live act. But I was truly blown away when I saw Brown dive head-first and fully immerse himself in the adoring rabble during ‘Ready For The Fall’. “That warmed you up, Brighton,” he claimed, almost relieved to see the previously dazed congregation finally light up and provide a more suitable howling reception. As intended, Dan Brown’s stunts ensued a ravenous mosh pit around him as the band finished up with a selection of overtly promising fresh tracks from the imminent debut album ‘Cutting Our Teeth’.
We Are The Ocean won’t necessarily win everyone’s hearts, however they are coated in a layer of self-belief and determination which will see them get the recognition they deserve. Through an effective mix of vocals, irresistibly catchy songs, a few musicians the fan-girls can swoon over and a genuine sense of extreme stage presence, We Are The Ocean continue to gain the respect of many music aficionados who can’t resist a genuinely good time.
Words by Amber Mellowship
Photography by Ruby Allcock
myspace.com/wearetheoceanuk
What did you think of the gig?
From left to right: Toby, Gaia, Steve, Anna, Louis, Tom.
Toby: “So epic. They are one of the first bands I’ve seen actually jump in the crowd. They were so amazing, I’m like trembling!”
James (left): “Unbelievable!”
Richard (centre): “Awesome!”
Tom (right): “Amazing, so good!”
Lewis (left) and Luke (right): “Excellent. Really good, the support bands were good too!”
Left to right: Kayleigh, Nicole, Bailey, Jodie, Georgia, Lisa.
“Awesome” / “Immense energy!” / “Crazy sick!” / “absolutely mental” / “So gorgeous, especially Alfie!”
