Citizen and The Story So Far
O2 Forum Kentish Town // London, England // October 6th, 2018
Photos and review by Rachael Dowd
Citizen
Making their return to the UK after quite some time, Citizen treated fans to an impressive nine song set that featured some old fan favorites and brand new tracks many in the audience were hearing live for the first time.
Opening up their performance with “Roam The Room” and “The Summer,” both off of 2013’s Youth, the crowd’s response to the songs made it seem like Citizen were the headlining band, their voices echoing so loud off of the venue walls that vocalist Mat Kerekes spent most of the time pointing his microphone towards the audience.
Among the fan favorite tracks off of Youth, the album that virtually put Citizen on the punk map, they also brought in material from their recently released album, As You Please, including “Fever Days” and “Ugly Luck.” Both songs offered moments in the set that showed the contrast between Citizen’s old sound and their newly evolved music.
Closing out their set with “Jet,” the lead single from As You Please, Citizen’s hard hitting music translates perfectly into their live performance, showing both their growth over the years while simultaneously bringing their repertoire of songs accurately to life onstage without the need of over the top production. Stripped down and openly truthful, Citizen’s live performance is one of the most authentic in the scene today and is not one to be ignored.
The Story So Far
As one of the biggest shows The Story So Far has ever played in London, something special happened in the O2 Forum on Saturday. After nearly three years since the release of their last full-length album, the California band are back with Proper Dose, the most mature album, both lyrically and production-wise, the band has ever put out. It was apparent the moment you stepped into the venue that fans inside had only one objective in mind – give The Story So Far the best welcome back greeting possible.
Starting off their set with “Nerve,” off of their 2015 self-titled album, the room exploded with energy as soon as the opening guitar notes rang through the speakers, showing that while The Story So Far haven’t been back in a while, they certainly haven’t been forgotten.
Their fourteen song set list had the perfect balance of new and old, featuring popular songs such as “Things I Can’t Change,” “Heavy Gloom,” and “Roam,” all of which the audience received a round of applause from vocalist Parker Cannon for their passion and intensity during each of the songs, the wave of crowd surfers never seeming to completely disappear throughout the night.
However, it was the slower moments of the night that stood out the most. Incorporating slower songs in a set that is known for having hard hitting pop punk tracks that cause a frenzy throughout the venues they play was quite a bold move for The Story So Far, but a move that added depth and variety into their overall performance.
“Upside Down,” the current single off of Proper Dose, was the first of the three stripped down tracks played. Citizen’s Mat Kerekes joined the band onstage to play piano while fans rose up on each other’s shoulders and sang along so loudly and passionately, you would have thought the song had already been out for years.
Vocalist Parker Cannon took time to thank all of the fans who have supported The Story So Far since the beginning and for having such a warm and positive reception of Proper Dose, an album he stated the band are incredibly proud of and took a big risk with.
Following that performance with “Take Me As You Please,” an acoustic guitar driven Proper Dose track that has seemed to fly under the radar, The Story So Far turned everything back up a notch with “Empty Space” and “Quicksand,” the two songs that always seem to be the ones fans look the most forward to hearing, fans exerting every ounce of energy they had left as the set quickly came to a close.
The Story So Far returned to the stage for an encore of “Clairvoyant,” a favorite within the fanbase that offered a more intimate moment that is not often seen at a pop punk show. As what is arguably their most stripped down song to date, the audience held up lighters and phone lights, illuminating the venue for what ended up being the most talked about performance amongst fans as they left the venue and posted on social media.
Amidst controversy, long breaks and years of criticism, The Story So Far have managed to keep a dedicated and loyal fanbase all over the world, the crowds seeming to grow each and every time they tour. If their show in London is any indication on what the future holds for the band from Walnut Creek, California, then it appears that the so-called risk they took with Proper Dose was just the gamble they needed to take their band to new heights.
