Of Mice & Men – The Cockpit, Leeds
14th October 2012
Of Mice & Men are without a doubt one of the greatest metalcore
bands to date and there seems to be no stopping the California five-piece as
they embark on the most anticipated UK tour the band has ever seen. Along with Secrets and Memphis May Fire, Of
Mice & Men seems set to storm The Cockpit and there is an obvious sense of
excitement from the moment that Secrets take to the stage.
Beginning their set with only a few fans in a
sold-out venue, Secrets seems eager to impress and frontman Xander Bourgeois immediately insisted on
several mosh pits, much to the approval of the audience. Slowly gaining the
approval of a few more heads within the crowd due to drummer Joe English
completely tearing up his drum kit, Secrets were shameless and fuelled the
anticipation for Texas band Memphis May Fire.
It is clear from the moment frontman Matty Mullins steps on stage that
their set will tear up the entire venue and as they jump immediately into The Sinner, Memphis May Fire revel in the overwhelming reaction from
the crowd. The band pull out all the stops to deliver a performance worthy of a
headlining act and secure their place as one of the greatest live bands this
venue has ever seen. The crowd loved every minute of it and as the five-piece
close their roof-raising performance with a fiery track from their new album, Prove Me Right, they leave with
significantly more fans than they entered with.
Finally, the agonising wait is over and the roar of the crowd is enough
to quench any doubt that Memphis May Fire have stolen the show tonight.
Launching into O.G. Loko, they tear
up the venue with a presence so dominant that it’s impossible to deny the fact
that Of Mice & Men have come back better and stronger since the departure
of guitarist Shayley Bourget in February. In his place stands Aaron Pauley who
finds no difficulty in establishing his title as a worthy replacement and
fulfilling a role that not many others could achieve. Chiefly playing songs from their latest
album, The Flood, the band annihilate
the stage and the reaction from the crowd is nothing less than what they
deserve with frontman Austin Carlile completely smashing his vocal cords in a
successful attempt of putting on one of the greatest shows of their lives. As
they play hits such as Let Live and Product of a Murderer, the atmosphere is
unbeatable, with every eye on the band and not a single person standing still.
Songs from their re-issue of The Flood
go down a storm and the crowd all gladly participate in crouching on the floor
upon Austin Carlile’s demand for The
Depths.
However, everyone within the venue knows that the best is yet to come
and the wait for the encore in unbearable before Of Mice & Men set the
place on fire with phenomenal hit Second
and Sebring, bringing Austin Carlile and half of his fans to tears before
exiting the stage to an overwhelming applause from the crowd. It is clear that the night had been a complete
success and things can only improve for a band that, as of yet, know no limits.
Abbie Harrop
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