Yellowcard, Taking Back Sunday, und The Click Five

Recently reformed alt-rockers Yellowcard are back on the live circuit to play to fans with their melodic rock, bringing sets made of old and new music to venues around the globe. Despite the several line up changes and numerous hiatuses, the fans have stuck by Yellowcard and as the lights go down in Coventry's Kasbah the cheers that erupt are evidence of the band's unwavering popularity.

Beginning with a number of tracks from 2012 LP 'Southern Air' the crowd remain enthusiastic as the energetic band tears through the new material with vigour. The violin is an unusual addition for a rock quartet but when watching the intensity in which Sean Mackin plays the instrument spurs the crowd on to cheer and shriek during his personal solos.

It didn't take long for the band to bring out the old singles such as 'Way Away' and 'Lights & Sounds' and they seem as excitable as the crowd during the intro to these cult favourites. The largest cheers of the night though are definitely reserved for the encore duo of 'Only One' and their most recognisable hit 'Ocean Avenue'. Despite some time away, Yellowcard seem refreshed and re-energised onstage.

Emo stalwarts Taking Back Sunday are titans of the live circuit. Hailing from Long Island, NYC, the five-piece rockers built a veritable platoon of fans through the energy, dedication and enthusiasm of Adam Lazzara & Co. – and that's a facet of the band, fifteen years deep into their career, that isn't showing any cracks, or any signs of waning in the slightest.
Peppered with bona fide tunes like “Cute Without The E (Cut From The Team)”, “Great Romances Of The 20th Century”, “MakeDamnSure”, “A Decade Under The Influence” and “Timberwolves At New Jersey”, their sets are eclectic masterclasses in pop-punk and emo-rock. Sodden with emotion – obviously a steadfast hallmark – they bound and leap and gallop and screech across the stage, with Lazzara whipping his mic (he famously knocked out their former guitarist a few years ago), and jumping into the crowd with vigour. They're surprisingly down-to-earth fellas, which, for a band renowned for being white-hot sex symbols, is a commodity indeed. If you're looking for a frenetic, sweat-inducing two hours of shoutalong entertainment, Taking Back Sunday will deliver on all fronts. These aren't shows for sitting at the back or standing and doing the awkward head-bob foot shuffle combo.

Energetic. Captivating. Inspiring. These are just three words that could be used to describe a live performance from The Click Five. Starting as a college band playing at nearby venues, the boys soon found themselves recording demos and touring locally when they caught the eye of a talent scout. In 2005, the band released their debut album, not knowing that this would be the first of three albums they would see materialise within the next five years. Their most successful single, “Just The Girl”, was featured in the well-known movie “John Tucker Must Die”, starring Brittany Snow and Sophia Bush, and maintained its spot as the No. 1 most-downloaded song on iTunes for over two weeks. Standing in a crowd of screaming fans, the first thing to catch the attention of any viewer’s eye is their smart suit and tie ensemble, complete with matching mop-top haircuts. But this sharp visual image is quickly altered when Kyle Patrick races to the front of the stage, throwing himself into a vigorous guitar solo, while Joey Zehr strikes his drum kit and flips his hair like there’s no tomorrow. I felt my stomach spin with excitement as the wave of fans I was now a part of rose and fell with the band as they jumped to the blaring beat of “Jenny”. As the night ended and they gave one last strum of their guitars and a wave goodbye, I stood for a moment, taking in the thrilling atmosphere and knowing there weren’t many artists that could match a night like that.