There was a glorious time in the early 2000s when it looked like there might be a resurgence of British post-hardcore. Bands like Funeral for a Friend, Hundred Reasons and Hell is For Heroes created a new wave of British melodic punk that felt distinct from their American counterparts. But as soon as it seemed to gain momentum, the wave crashed and rolled back.
It seems a decade later that Bristol boys Downcast may be here to pick up the torch. (Ok, I’m done with the cliched mixed metaphors now). Catching the band’s supporting set at Fuel in Cardiff, it’s clear that the five-piece has the talent, the stage presence and most importantly, the tunes to make it big.
Kicking off with Britannia Mills, the fantastic opener to the band’s superb debut album, I Saw Hell When I Was With You, it didn’t take them long to get the packed back-room on side.
Ben Lucas’s driving guitar, coupled with Frontman Liam Edwards’ heartfelt lyrics and pained delivery, deserves to be on a bigger stage.
Their latest single, absolute banger, Mistakes That I Have Made drove the crowd wild.
The only thing that detracted from an otherwise superb performance was whoever they decided to hire to take pictures for them. Who was at best amateurish and at worst a liability.
When she wasn’t getting in the way of our photographer. She was constantly taking pictures using a flash (the kind of thing that’ll get you tossed out of bigger venues and piss everyone else off ). This ruined our chances of getting decent photos for this review and marred an otherwise solid set.
It’s a shame because it’s clear, even to this jaded old fuck, that Downcast are a band that, both musically and on stage, is only going to get better with time – and they’re already pretty damn great.