Artists: New Year's Day/Conquer Divide/Fearless Vampire Killers
Venue: Manchester: Academy 3
Date: 01 February 2025
"Hopefully it will not be as long before New Years Day return to these shores once more. Great stuff!"
Not only was it a Saturday night, but all four Academy venues were hosting sold-out shows, so to say it was busy at the University end of Oxford Road in Manchester would be an understatement. Added to that, for the first day in February, the weather was quite pleasant, meaning those that were waiting eagerly for the doors to open at their respective venues, could do so in some kind of comfort. I’d been waiting nearly twelve months for this show, as I had missed New Years Day’s last visit to the UK, when they were supporting Halestorm towards the end of 2019.
On entering the Academy 3 room, to take my place in the pit for the first three songs of openers The Fearless Vampire Killers, it was clear that the enthusiasm levels were high, as it was already two-thirds full. FVK are from the UK and their musical style is something of an EMO/Punk crossover. With only thirty minutes, they gave it their all and certainly made an impact, even if it was not really my cup of tea. Some diplomatic between-song banter endeared them to the locals and new song, ‘Back From The Void’, which had a bit of a My Chemical Romance vibe, had the biggest impact. With two singers, who also shared guitar duties, there was plenty to admire, and they seemed to go down quite well with the sardine-like crowd.
Conquer Divide’s 2023 ‘Slow Burn’ album was in my top five that year so, if I’m honest, I was there to see them as much as the headliners. The five-piece features members from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, and they have a Metalcore edge to their sound, alongside some big hooks and immediate melodies. The set was heavily weighted towards ‘Slow Burn’ and following a low-key entrance they were straight into ‘Atonement’ and ‘Chemicals’. The most recent addition to the line-up is the only male member of the band. Spencer Maybe plays bass, also adding the necessary harsh vocals. Lead-singer Kiarely “Kia” Castillo made a big impact and fortunately (which is not always the case in some of the Academy venues) the sound was spot on. I’ll admit to being more fond of the songs without unclean vocals, but Spencer’s input was never intrusive. Guitarists Kristen Sturgis and Isabel “Izzy” Johnson showcased some great six-string work, whilst Samantha “Sam” Landa battered her kit with real intent. Set highlights would have to be ‘Pressure’, ‘Paralyzed’ and new song ‘Bad Dreams’. They were as good as I hoped they would be, and I already have a ticket to see them again in Manchester in just two weeks time, when they will be supporting Ankor.
New Years Day were clearly the band that everyone was in attendance to see, and by the time they took to the stage at 9.45pm, you couldn’t squeeze a credit card between the bodies in the room. Though the line-up seems to change constantly, Ash Costello (lead vocals) and Nikki Misery (guitar) are still at the heart of everything they do, and have now been joined by Jeremy Valentine on guitar and Tommy Rockoff on drums. The opening one-two of ‘Vampyre’ and ‘Half Black Heart’, which are also the first two songs on the recent ‘Half Black Heart’ album, were a hard-hitting statement of intent, lapped up by the frenzied crowd. Misery and Valentine were never still and Ash Costello prowled the stage like a manic ringmaster, her vocals cutting through the incendiary mix like a scythe. ‘Come For Me’ and ‘Shut Up’ followed in quick succession and from the relative safety of the rear bar I couldn’t help but be impressed. I had no idea that the NYD profile was so high in the UK, but after just a few songs that was put to rights. The cover of Kehlani’s ‘Gangsta’ was not out of place and then ‘Disgust Me’ raised the already melting temperature levels even further. ‘Hurts Like Hell’ made everyone go nuts, but then a little momentum was lost due, I believe, to a few technical issues. This provided the opportunity for band introductions before normal service was resumed.
Being the last date of the UK tour meant things started to get somewhat out of hand on stage, though no-one seemed to mind too much. When ‘Defame Me’ and ‘Kill Or Be Killed’ brought things to a close it was a relief to get back out into some semblance of fresh air, though I would have quite happily stayed for another hour and a dozen more songs. Hopefully it will not be as long before New Years Day return to these shores once more. Great stuff!
Gallery: All photos © Dave Bott (used with kind permission)
Review: Dave Bott
Photos: Dave Bott
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