Light The Torch have been going from strength to strength recently. Fuelled by the successful release of their most recent album, Revival and a fantastic run supporting In Flames, many would think it would be a few months before we’d see them again. However, the band had other plans and no sooner had their tour with In Flames finished, they announced that they would be back in less than 2 weeks on a headlining run. Hitting some places they’d not played on the previous run, it was clear that these events were going to be a night to remember. So after having spent the previous night seeing Devin Townsend, I jumped on the train once more from York and headed over to The Key Club to enjoy a night of some good music.
Opening up the proceedings on the small but deep stage were local boys On Hollow Ground. Right from the word go, the band showed they were not messing about and were determined to get everyone headbanging or moshing along to their mix of modern metalcore. Being from Leeds, the band had brought a few mates down to the show which helped get those who’d not seen the band before get into the spirit of things with the cheers after every song gradually getting louder and louder. With their set made up of their new single “Broken (Point the Finger)” along with a selection from their previous releases, there was no denying that they were a cracking band to open the show. Vocalist Jack Flynn and guitarist/vocalist Ryan Scott, in particular, caught my attention for both having excellent pipes on them with the former showcasing great variety in his vocals. If their other performances are anything like that night’s was, then the future is sure to be bright for the quintet.
Following on from them, it was time for the other local boys in Surya to take the stage. Having a somewhat similar style to the previous band, they as well were determined to make their presence known and get the heads banging. With an extremely tight performance and mix of post metalcore hitting just the right spot, the crowd got the ball rolling with many members headbanging or nodding along to the music. As with OHG, the band had some mates with them which caused a few local joke and chants of “Yorkshire!” to go up at points and also one member of the crowd to come on stage and headbang/windmill with them during one of the songs. Ending the set with 2 new tracks off their upcoming release, the quintet delivered a highly enjoyable set with vocalist Dave Hutchinson having a similarly impressive set of pipes on him.
It was then time for the quartet that makes up Light The Torch to come to the stage. Having spoken with vocalist Howard Jones before the show, he mentioned that each show on this run had been phenomenal with great turnouts at every venue. This was particularly true of tonight as despite there being a one day festival on and Hollywood Undead playing up the road (which Jack and Kristal covered), the venue was suitably packed with folk ready to have some fun and bring in the new week in style. Coming on stage to “The Bitter End” from Revival, an earth-shattering cheer went up as to which Howard responded with “Oh my God!” before launching into his signature vocal style. Despite being on tour for the best part of a few months with few days off, both him and bassist/backing vocalist Ryan Wombacher sounded absolutely fantastic and got the crowd suitably fired up with the first mosh-pits of the evening appearing.
Just as last time, the band kept the music following with songs primarily taken from their latest albums alongside choice cuts from previous albums such as “Consume the Damned” from They Bleed Red alongside others. After the first few songs, Howard thanked the crowd that had come out by saying “This is the last show for us on this run. To go home with this in our heads and hearts is f’ing awesome. Thank you!” This resulted in the crowd letting out another huge cheer before the band dropped into “Lost in The Fire” which sent the audience into a frenzy with heads banging and even bigger mosh-pits appearing.
With a cracking sound everywhere in the small venue and smiles all round, this was a truly fantastic night and a great way for the band to end their short UK run. Until next time!
All photos by Bukavac Photography.
