Avoid the Morning Live - Aberdeen 23/10/09

Kicking off the evening’s action was Under The Influence, playing their first ever gig. Peddling their Fall Out Boy-tinged pop-punk, they played 20 minutes of their own material, and showed great promise. Finishing with an enjoyable cover of Blink 182’s Dammit, they were joined onstage by Avoid the Morning’s Aaron who shared vocal duties with bassist Jamie, displaying a camaraderie between bands which was present all night long.

Next up were Arcadence, a perhaps unusual choice considering the metal stylings of their music, however not an unwelcome break from the otherwise pop-punk line-up. Starting shakily, the band’s confidence clearly grew as the set progressed, until the impressively epic closing track. Throughout, it was guitarist Ethan’s solos that really stole the show.

Third on the bill were Inverness three-piece, He Slept On 57. Playing a brand of rock reminiscent of Biffy Clyro and Twin Atlantic, they were the first band to really get the crowd pumping. With a set full of songs old and new, it was the tracks from their debut EP, Turn Your Back On All We Know, that the crowd really got into.

He Slept on 57 were then followed by The Gap Year Riot!, a Glasgow five-piece who play piano-infused pop-punk to a very high standard. With the crowd singing along to most of their songs, it was obvious that many have been following the band for some time. With musical influences lying somewhere between Fall out Boy and Elliot Minor, the Glasgow boys put on a great show. Throwing Shapes was a clear set highlight from its opening piano melody to its hell-for-leather finale. Other high points included Stop Talking Start Listening, a veritable tour de force of pop-rock fun, and Hush Hush, a straight-up pop-punk anthem.

Avoid the Morning were, as usual, on top form. Beginning with hi-octane fan favourite Stand and Fight Together, the quartet soon whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Joined for the first time by new guitarist Napz, the band continued to storm through a 35-minute set made up of old favourites and a couple of new songs. Say What I Am was debuted to a great reaction, as was a storming cover of Katy Perry’s pop gem, Waking Up In Vegas.

Elsewhere in the set, it was the tracks from their recent EP that garnered the biggest cheers, Find My Way Back Home being a particular highlight. Newer songs, however, like Relationship, were also well received and show that the band haven’t lost that creative song-writing spark.

Speaking to bassist Jake Lawson after the gig, he believes it was the fans who made the night what it was: “The gig was amazing because of the crowd! When they cheer, sing along and mosh, it makes you work harder on stage and it turns into an all round better gig.”

Having only played their first gig at Café Drummonds in late 2008, Avoid the Morning’s journey has been a tough one, with frequent line-up changes posing a major problem (they are on their fifth guitarist!). This, their first ever headline show, proved that they have what it takes to take their music to the next level. With a Scottish mini-tour already under their belts, a new EP due in early 2010, and this, their debut headline slot, Avoid the Morning are proving themselves to be the rising stars of the Aberdeen music scene.

Avoid the Morning played:
Intro
Stand and Fight Together
Relationship
Waking Up In Vegas (Katy Perry cover)
Light of the World
Say What I Am
Find My Way back Home
Then Now Always
Stay on Track


Find out more about Avoid the Morning at www.myspace.com/avoidthemorning
Read our 8track feature with bassist Jake Lawson here.
Find out about the other bands here:
www.myspace.com/thegapyearriot
www.myspace.com/heslepton57
www.myspace.com/arcadenceuk
www.myspace.com/underti

Photos by Beth Alexander.

A version of this article also appears in the 3rd November 2009 issue of The Gaudie.

ES