With support from alt-rockers Damn Cargo and Welsh rockers Raiders, As Sirens Fall took over Thousand Island at The Garage last month.
Formed by previous The Blackout member Sean Smith, Raiders did their absolute best to get a tough crowd heated up for As Sirens Fall. Greeting the crowd with what seemed only a partially joking “We are Raiders, please don’t die”, the band also set the crowd up for what their set was going to be like – intense, fast-paced and probably more than they had bargained for. Sean’s sinister sense of humour was sadly last amongst most of the crowd, but we’d like to point out, it was just the right dose of dark. “He was as disgusting as he wa sout of tune” Sean commented half way throught the band’s set referring to him catching his own spit dripping off the ceiling.
But besides the blackhearted shenanigans, musically Raiders delivered on their initial promise. And as they close their set with latest single Wasting Away, Raiders have shown the London crowd what they’re all about with a high-energy performance.
Then As Sirens Fall take the stage to slow, synthy intro music as they’re being greeted with cheers across the room. The Yorkshire alt-rockers proceed to bring the heat to the 600-cap venue with tracks like single Where You Are and My Only Ghost.
“This week we put a video out. It had fireworks, it had cars, it’s about someone we lost, someone that was close to us, someone I was engaged to.” vocalist Mikey Lord tells the crowd about recent single She Runs With The Wolves.
Throughout the set, As Sirens Fall managed to put together a flow of highs and lows that sat nicely with the feel of the room. Playing tracks off their 2016 EP The Hospital Party including “jumping and dancing song” Smoke.
A very special treat this evening comes courtesy of Mikey not being able to bring his keyboard and so had to play Getaway on an acoustic guitar instead. “Normally we play this song on a keyboard but we couldn’t bring it so we gotta play this with a guitar. If it goes wrong we’ll call it a drunken campfire jam.” the frontman explains. “I went to my dad’s for his birthday and the fusilage of my car came down so I had to source a new car, which was a Citroen C1 – the keyboard didn’t fit.” he continued.
We’re sure the keyboard version would have been lovely, but we adored the acoustic guitar version just as much, and if you add a bunch of lighters and torches to the picture, it quickly became a highlight of the evening.
The band close their fiery set with Lily and by partially performing it surrounded by a sea of fans in the middle of the dance floor. Lily is taken off the band’s 2018 EP Where Lost Things Go and features a heavy emo influence.
As Sirens Fall are set to play Camden Rocks Festival in June, so if you’re around, make sure to go check them out!
High Fives & Stage Dives 