We’ve never seen a Menzingers show we didn’t like, and the band’s show at London’s Roundhouse on 8 October was no different, with support from Sincere Engineer and Joyce Manor.
There are many ways to have a great night out on an October Saturday night in the UK’s capital but very few will be as heart-warming and spirited as seeing Pennsylvania rockers The Menzingers on stage at one of London’s most iconic venues.
But first things first. Kicking things off for the night are Chicago breakout act Sincere Engineer. They easily win over the part of the crowd that may not have heard them before with their angsty pop-punk and wonderfully awkward stage banter with the parts of the crowd that knew exactly what they came for.
Their brief seven track set showcased tracks off their 2021 record Bless My Psyche as well as 2017’s Rhombithian. Being the first support act is always a tough gig but Sincere Engineer took it head on and walked out having won over more hearts in London that night.
Sincere Engineer at Roundhouse, London (photo credit: High Fives & Stage Dives)
Up next, California punks Joyce Manor took the stage and rocked the socks off everyone at the Roundhouse with their spell-binding performance. Throughout the 19-track set, which could classify the evening almost as a co-headline show, the band covered most of their discography leaving little to be desired in the best way possible.
Finishing off with 2011’s Leather Jacket, Joyce Manor delivered not only an incredible show that on its own would have been worth the ticket money, but also got the crowd in the right mood for what was to come next.
Joyce Manor at Roundhouse, London (photo credit: High Fives & Stage Dives)
And what was next? A high-energy Menzingers set that felt just like out of a dictionary. A huge round of cheer erupted in the room as the band took to the stage, illuminated by the spotlights, launching straight into Good Things, followed by crowd-pleaser I Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole anymore. And if anything ever represented that Saturday night gig feeling, it’s Tom May bouncing around the stage for the full 20-track show like a rubber ball that’s been dropped down a skyscraper.
And just like Tom doesn’t stop bouncing, the crowd doesn’t stop singing. The love for Menzingers that night is strong, it always is in London, but tonight and the band’s first show back since Covid, you can almost touch the pure joy hovering in every corner and in every beer thrown across the room (RIP my camera).
Just as the set was never short of joy, it was also filled to the brim with riffs and all the fan favourites including Thick As Thieves, Anna and the one and only Casey (RIP my voice at that point), off the band’s 2012 On The Impossible Past.
And the encore, chef’s kiss! Beers flying, hugging, dancing, singing along and then some to Lookers is never ever something that won’t be entirely cathartic. Not a dry eye in the house for these boys from Scranton that have had our hearts for over fifteen years, that grew up with us and whose lyrics grew up alongside them.
Menzingers fittingly close out their show with After The Party, the words After The Party It’s Me And You echoing through the Roundhouse long after the riffs have subsided. Leaving everyone with a sense of renewed love of life (and live… music) and if this ain’t rock n roll then I don’t know what is.
The Menzingers at Roundhouse, London (photo credit: High Fives & Stage Dives)
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