Photo + Words: Caitlin Mellors
American Punk Rock legends New Found Glory played their headline show at Rock City this Wednesday as part of their run of the UK. The UK tour is well overdue, with the band not having toured the UK for about 7 or 8 years – their UK return was at Slam Dunk earlier this year. This long awaited return comes off the back of their new singles ‘100%’ and ‘Laugh It Off’, which are featured on their upcoming album ‘Listen Up!’, set to release February next year.
New York punk band Koyo opened the show with instant energy, playing songs from their EP ‘Drives out East’, and their debut album ‘Would You Miss It?’ It’s not hard to see why this hard-core five piece have steadily gained popularity in the UK with their emotionally charged melodies and energetic stage presence. The crowd were just as energetic as the band as they were cheering, head-banging, and most importantly – pushing and shoving each other. Koyo ended their short but sweet set with fan favourite ‘Mile a Minute’, sending the crowd into one final shoving match and eager for more music.
Next on the stage were Real Friends, another American born and bred band. The band took to the stage and the crowd was roaring as they launched into their first song of the night, ‘Late Nights in My Car’. The band have always been known for being fan oriented, and a few songs in, lead singer Cody Muraro decided it was time to sing up close with the crowd and do a spot of surfing as well. But it didn’t stop there. After a couple more songs, Cody decided that singing on the stage was too boring, and he headed over the barrier. The crowd parted like The Red Sea before circling Cody, and then illuminated him with their phone torches as he sang ‘I’ve Given Up on You’. To say it was moving would be underselling it, from the crowd and Cody belting out the emotional song to the moving message Cody shared once he’d returned to the stage. Real Friends decided to end things with their popular track ‘Tell Me You’re Sorry’ from their 2023 EP ‘There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late’, keeping the energy alive for the main act.
After a short wait, New Found Glory took to the stage and the crowd went wild. I don’t think there was a song that people weren’t all singing along to. The band really looked like they were having the time of their lives putting on a show for the people of Nottingham, and you wouldn’t have guessed that it was a Wednesday night. Not with all the jumping, moshing, and crowd surfing going on. The band were fun, often hamming it up with their goofy antics or funny comments. And they knew their audience – New Found Glory have a career spanning over two decades, so dedicating songs to all the people that had them on their Myspace page was hilarious. That’s not to say they don’t cater to the younger fans, as they played their cover of ‘Let it Go’, lead singer Jordan Pundik found himself channelling his inner Elsa as blue lights enveloped the venue.
As the set progressed, the band professed their amazement at how hard the Notts crowd went from the get go. They stated that they’ve been playing this venue for 24 years, and “Every time we come to Rock City, you guys are off the chain!”– queue a roaring cheer from the crowd. The music and banter continued, and after crowd favourites played such as ‘Hit or Miss’, ‘Dressed to Kill’, and ‘Kiss Me’, New Found Glory bid us goodbye. For about 10 seconds. On what was the shortest fake leaving for an encore I had ever seen, the band made a swift U-turn to play us one more song. I don’t mind admitting that my heart sank when the familiar tune of ‘My Friends Over You’ didn’t start playing – arguably the one song the whole crowd desperately wanted to hear. One or two beats in, and a line or two sang, the music suddenly changed and the immensely popular riffs of ‘My Friends Over You’ did play out. The cheer from the crowd was insane, and the energy shifted into something else entirely.
This band had people growling and screaming along to a Frozen song, got a one man mosh pit going at the back of the venue, and made a lot of “Elder Emos” very happy. Once the final note had been played, and the last bit of confetti settled on the sticky Rock City floor, you couldn’t help but feel satisfied.
That was a proper nostalgic gig.
Taped Magazine 