Live Review
Hit The Lights/Bayside – Academy 3, Manchester
For the first time ever I was proud to be part of a crowd in Manchester, the co-headlining tour made a fantastic impact on Academy 3 and the crow influenced the bands as much as each other.
Only catching the end of the support band after some trouble getting in, what we saw of them was excellent, not warming up the crowd that well, but performances to be happy with.
Not knowing the Bayside songs, they seemed to keep it tight and together on stage, and the crowd were really into it, the set was a mixture of old and new and the riffs were outstanding.
Then came Hit The Lights, what with a rollercoaster of a last year with their lead singer leaving and deciding to carry on the band with the guitarist singing instead, a new album release and their first time in the UK live after all this they had a show to do. And what a set it was. Playing only 3 of their songs from the new album, showcasing their new guitarist and really buzzing off the energy the crowd gave them, it was awesome. The crowd were often singing louder than the PA was putting out the band, and the look of shock and excitement on all HTL’s faces was fantastic. Playing through their ‘offstage’ encore time, everyone thought it was over, a few shouts for their secret song were heard and Nick and Omar sneaked back on stage requested that the lights and house music be switched off and played away. Truly fantastic.
Not only was it a great gig for all there, but one of Hit the Lights’ own favourite. Pop punk’s not dead.