Live Review: Miss May I, Fit For A King, Void of Vision & Currents @ Camden Underworld 26/01/2018!

Tonight the “We Are Stronger Than Before” tour rolls up to London’s Camden Underworld with a lot of promise. Openers Currents [6/10] only play material from their impressive second album “The Place I Feel Safest” tonight and are hampered by sound issues throughout. It’s Currents first international tour and with an album that Oozes quality musicianship, to have some of the lead work drowned out by the drum sound is poor. Frontman Brian Willie’s vocals are mixed tonight, the cleans are off the mark and he’s found lagging behind the music at various points. The band persist and by the time set closers “Delusion”, complete with Super Mario-esq solo and “Night Terrors” are reached, the band have recovered. Not such a great night for them but with the aforementioned album under their belts they will be on to bigger and better things.

Melbourne, Australia’s Void Of Vision [8/10] are a completely different prospect. Taking the stage as a four piece with no bass player, the band tear through a collection of songs from their triumphant new “Disturbia” EP, “Children of Chrome” and “Broken // Bones” to great effect. They are a well oiled live machine and the flourishes of Tech-Metal are a joy. New songs “Grey Area” and “Spite” go down well with the not quite sold out crowd, while circle pits around the venues iconic pillars for “Purge”, “Nightmare” and “Sunrise” are enjoyed by the band. After their set, we have the fortune of meeting their frontman who waxes lyrical about this summer’s Tech-Fest and his brothers in DVSR.

Fit For A King [8/10] are quick to announce that once this tour is over they will be heading into the studio to record a follow up to 2016’s impressive “Deathgrip”. The Texan Metalcore quartet pile through a set including “Warpath” and “Slave To Nothing” which they describe as being old songs for the older fans. “Pissed Off”, “Deathgrip” are highlights before “Stack Bodies” sees Miss May I‘s frontman Levi Benton join the band on the stage to rapturous applause. It’s a triumphant return to the UK for a band who have rarely been to Europe.

Tonight’s headliners Miss May I [8/10] have been a band for a decade and play a career spanning set with the energy and verve of a band that are at the top of their game. Everyone except drummer Jerod Boyd is involved in backing vocals at one point or other during the set and the group vocals with frontman Levi Benton backing up clean vocalist and bassist Ryan Neff adds a new dynamic and harmony which is a joy. Jerod Boyd still has his moment though with an incredible drum solo three quarters of the way through the set that sees the rest of the band leave the stage so he can take his share of the limelight. He’s an animal on the kit tonight and the pace of the set with minimal time between songs and no let up during the set is a breath of fresh air. From opener “Lost In The Grey” from the lyrics of which the tour takes its name, through to closer “Shadows Inside” there is a near constant circle pit. Even during the sing-a-long chrouses of “Crawl”, “Casualties” and “Swallow Your Teeth”, the audience don’t let up and th band love every minute. Miss May I love London and London love them. “Hey Mister” and “Gone” should also get a mention for security preventing crowd surfing!