21st November
Manchester Academy
8.5/10
After a career spanning almost 18 years and eight albums, New Found Glory haven’t lost their signature live energy. Touring in support of their newest album, Resurrection, they are playing with an impressive four support bands – The Story So Far, State Champs, Candy Hearts and Only Rivals.
Only Rivals and Candy Hearts, playing to a literally and figuratively cold crowd, gave notable efforts but ultimately failed to energise the audience. State Champs really got the show going; offering up some seriously catchy tunes and a fun performance. The Story So Far came on to a massive cheer, and it was clear that that’s what a lot of the crowd was there for – and the band didn’t disappoint; proving a barrage of punchy tracks that you couldn’t help but headbang to.
With barely enough time to get a drink, the lights went down and New Found Glory came on to a backdrop of Judy Garland singing ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic’. Playing an impressive 23 songs, we were taken on a whirlwind tour of the band’s entire discography. Their performance of ‘Hit or Miss’ was a personal favourite with the lead singer surfing right into the crowd; with other particularly notable tracks being ‘Ready and Willing’ and their last track before the encore, ‘My Friends Over You’. The whole band never stopped moving, constantly jumping around the stage and providing an intensely fun experience. Right through to the very end of the encore, the band never stopped giving it everything they had, closing with ‘All Downhill From Here’.
It’s not hard to tell that New Found Glory love making and playing music, and it really shows in the way they effortlessly create an incredibly fun atmosphere at show after show.
