Gig Review: Mallory Knox

A couple of weeks ago I went to see Mallory Knox on their biggest UK headline tour to date. I have been trying to see this band ever since I first wrote about them here. I even met the lead singer Mikey, yet still they've managed to evade me every time I had the slightest opportunity to see them. Finally, two albums on, I got my wish...

First up supporting was Moose Blood, whom I'd been hearing a lot about prior to the gig and so I was really looking forward to their set most out of the three supports. They were definitely good, and their songs were very catchy but they really could have been a lot more engaging in terms of stage presence. I know that it wasn't their own headline slot (which I feel they would be ten times better in) but I still wanted to see a bit more energy. They actually have a headline tour coming up in January here so hopefully I can get along to that and get a better view of them because they seem like nice guys with a lot of potential.

A band that I had never heard of before called Fort Hope were up next. At first I absolutely hated the lead singer's voice but as the set went on I found myself liking it more and more. I feel like it's the kind of voice that I would definitely enjoy more on record because their songs were actually awesome! They had a good set, I think it managed to wake me up a little bit.

The final support was Frank Iero (aka FrnkIero andthe Cellabration) and oh my goodness. When these guys stepped on stage I finally realised how many girls there were in the crowd because each of them was screeching. I was thinking "Who on earth are these guys?!"... I later realised that Frank was the guitarist in MCR but that's besides the point. Everyone was so excited for them it was as if they were headlining. If I'm honest though, they deserved it - their set was pretty amazing. I would happily go to an actual headline set of theirs. Their drummer was INSANE! There was loads of high energy all round - very strong support set.

Last but most certainly not least, Mallory Knox. I will start by saying - PERFECT setlist! Absolutely perfect. You can see the full list here but standouts were "She Took Him To The Lake", "Beggars", "Shout At The Moon" and "Death Rattle". Heck, every song was a standout! I just wanted to shout until I had no voice left. I don't think I realised just how great Mikey's voice was until I saw them live, he is very talented. Oh! Their new single "When Are We Waking Up?" also sounded huge! The crowd could have be a touch more crazy but they played their parts well. This gig also made me realise how much I really liked their sophomore album Asymmetry too - it's brilliant. I would say, definite contender for my top 7 albums of the year. They played hard and deserve all the success that comes their way. I looked forward to seeing them again!

Overall Rating - 8/10


Here are some pictures from the night...