It was a rainy and gloomy day in the Netherlands, but fortunately we had something to look forward to. Neck Deep kicked off their tour with support from Static Dress in Nijmegen.
Static Dress got on stage just half an hour after doors opened. Luckily a lot of people came in time to watch Static Dress take on stage. Earlier this year the band got to support Bring Me The Horizon on their Europe tour, where they already left a good impression on the audience.The lights went out and a creepy intro let us know it was about to begin. They had old tv’s on stage, showing a few random clips while a circle pit already formed during the second song.
The band’s stage presence was excellent and their energy was through the roof. If you just looked at them individually you probably wouldn’t think they belonged in the same band, just based on how they are dressed. The bassist was wearing a metallic blazer, the guitarist had a black mask and the singer embodied ‘fuck toxic masculinity’. He was wearing a crop top and glittery blue makeup. The crowd really liked the band and happily took all of their instructions. Mosh pits, waving hands in the air and jumping around, it all went down in their short 30 min set.
If you want to experience some good old pop punk, then Neck Deep is the show you need to attend. Their setlist had a great range of songs, from the first song they wrote to their latest release. Since there was no barricade, the crowd could get nice and close, right up to the stage.
Singer Ben Barlow even encouraged people to crowdsurf and come up to the stage. This request was followed promptly and for the rest of the show the waves of crowd surfers could not be stopped. It really showed the value of mutual respect between the fans and the artists. Ben went as far as extending his hand to every crowd surfer so they would land on their feet. As a result no one really bothered the band when they ended up on stage, at most giving a fist bump to the band members. People were just dancing and having the time of their lives on stage before disappearing back into the crowd.
Singer Ben gave a speech about the world and the state that it’s in right now, saying he would much rather live on an alien planet, than on earth. But he also said that, at least the crowd in the venue makes him imagine what a better world would be like. Thats why, for the next song, he encouraged everyone to mosh off their anger (for Palestine), crowd surf to the stage and sing their hearts out.
“If we can make it as far as we have, anyone can” is what he said before getting into ‘Can’t Kick Up The Roots’. He pointed the microphone towards the people at the front, giving them the chance to sing some of the lyrics. When hearing the song ‘Heartbreak Of The Century’ you might expect it to be about a relationship, but on this special occasion the song is for all Manchester United fans, especially Ben Barlow himself. Crowd favourite ‘Smooth Seas Don’t Make Great Sailors’ made everyone absolutely lose their minds. Even the guitarists Matt West and Lloyd Roberts were spinning around on stage and kicking up their legs.
While the band went off stage for their encore, one crowd surfer took his chance to get on stage and hype everyone up, shouting “we want more!!” on the top of his lungs. Neck Deep did come back to play three more songs: ‘Motion Sickness’, ‘Gold Steps’ and ‘In Bloom’. Before ending the night, the band spotted a fan with a sign saying she wanted to trade a guitar pick for a joint. Barlow happily agreed to the deal, before giving their crew, the venue and their staff, Static Dress and everyone who came to see them a big shout-out and a huge thank you. During his goodbye speech he encouraged everyone to come see more live music, even if it is a band they don’t know yet, because that is how the music scene is kept alive and all the bands can keep on touring.
As a final statement Neck Deep promised to keep coming back, long as the fans are supporting them. So if you’re into pop punk or would like to check it out, I would strongly advise you go and see them. Their current tour will continue until the beginning of November, all through mainland Europe.
