poppedmusic

Spring King

Newcastle, 20th September 2018

Words: Samantha Sadler

It’s so amazing to watch a band grow from support act to show headliners and I feel like I’ve pretty much been on this journey with Spring King. I first caught the guys supporting Spector back in 2015, and it is pretty awesome that I’m now watching their headline gigs get busier and rowdier each time they tour.

Opening the evening was Newcastle four-piece Fever Days and their rambunctious indie-rock and bags of enthusiasm. I don’t want to give too much away on these guys as they are about to release their debut single ‘What’s Your Problem?’ next month, so keep your eyes peeled for that and get down to one of their live shows if you can.

My favourites FEVA occupied the second support slot and it was probably the best set I’ve seen them play. The lads have been killing it on the North East gig circuit at the minute and attracting attention from the likes of BBC Music Introducing and Spotify. Kicking off on the explosive ‘Ain’t Nobody’ packed with its skuzzy riffs and anthemic chorus, it wasn’t long before the mosh pits started to appear. With frontman Sam climbing up to strut across the balcony and jumping into a mosh pit at the end in true showmanship style, it’s no wonder FEVA are already drawing in the crowds at their gigs. I’m so excited about what’s up next for these guys – they’ll have no issues at all headlining bigger venues in the future.

After a suitable warming up, it was time for Spring King to take to the stage and they wasted no time in maintaining the high-energy atmosphere that still clung to the air from FEVA.

Opening on crowd-pleaser ‘Detroit’, punk influences poured out and the whole room started the mandatory crashing into each other and forming more mosh pits whilst screeching the lyrics back to frontman Tarek Musa and co. Having seen Spring King a few times now, I can confidently say that one of the best things about catching them live is how much fun they have on stage and how much fun the audience has watching them. This isn’t just about a band playing to a crowd, it’s one huge show that everyone can just go crazy at.

‘Ready For War’, ‘City’ and ‘Who Are You?’ brought the tempo up as explosive percussions bounced from the walls and piercing guitars emphasised each soundscape whilst audience members flung themselves into epic crowdsurfing competitions despite the lack of floor space.

‘It’s So Dark’ commanded that everyone stomp their feet and chant against the powerful beats whilst ‘Let’s Drink’ and ‘Take Me Away’ provided brief respite for the lovers in the room to sway against soothing instrumentals and soaring vocals.

Ending on ‘Mumma’ and the popular ‘Rectifier’, the crowd were on stage, the mosh pits had taken over the majority of the standing area and sweat dripped from the ceiling.

The best kind of chaotic carnage and a showcase of both their old album and new, this was a gig of epic proportions. When can we do it all again?