Emo Kings ‘Pierce The Veil’ Bring Californian Emo Rock, Smoke and Confetti Canons to The Ally Pally!!

Emo Kings ‘Pierce The Veil’ Bring Californian Emo Rock, Smoke and Confetti Canons to The Ally Pally!!

Despite it being 6 years since ‘Pierce The Veil’ last played on UK soil, their popularity hasn’t waned one bit!! With Vic Fuentes on guitar and lead vocals, Loniel Robinson on drums, Tony Perry on lead guitar and Jaime Preciado on bass, they exploded onto the stage with their opening track, ‘Death of an Executioner’, from their 2023 album ‘The Jaws Of Life’ from which their tour is named, to mass hysteria from the fishnet clad euphoric crowd! The 10,000 capacity Alexander Palace was bursting at the seams as ‘Pierce The Veil’ played their final UK show of their hugely successful tour. With support from ‘Holding Absence’ and ‘Dayseeker’, by the time ‘Pierce The Veil’ took to the stage, their ecstatic crowd were already whipped into a frenzy of fishnet clad, ubercool teenage alts and emos alike, all screaming for their idols.

As they exploded into their second track, ‘Caraphernelia’ with its driving guitars and agonisingly exquisite vocals, confetti canons exploded into the packed venue and the crowd went apocalyptic!! Pierce The Veil were wearing their black, barbed crowns tonight as they delivered an electrifying performance and reigned strong over their army of swoop-banged, manic panicked, stud bangle bearing army of misfits.

Crowned the kings of emo, this is a band that have still got it in spades!! The only thing that let these rock rebels down was the poor lighting! The stage was either an explosion of red or pink light, total darkness or a burst of bright white light and smoke which either blinded the crowd or eclipsed the band. It was a real shame as whilst the band were sensational, being able to see them in all their glory would have been even better!! The chaotic lighting was even more surprising given the fact the stage was literally barren with not so much as a backdrop! But never a band to fall easily, these guys weren’t going to let anything spoil their long-awaited show!! Whilst the setlist was heavily laden with tracks from their most recent album, never ones to disappoint they also played some of their older material, much to the obvious elation of their adoring fans! Their 2016 track, ‘Circles’ was an absolute masterpiece that left the heaving crowd, crowd surfing and screaming for more as they sang every word along with their emo gods!

A special mention has to go to ‘Dayseeker’ who certainly deserved their prestigious spot on the bill tonight. The Californian rockers, despite being shrouded in total darkness for most of their set, apart from an occasional fleeting spotlight, played one hell of a great set! The band, all wearing smart suits that made them look more city slickers than hard rockers, had a look that totally contradicted their heavy rock sound!! Lead vocalist Rory Rodriguez had an incredible voice, and effortlessly switched between melodic rock vocals to belting out powerful emotionally saturated lyrics and then shifting seamlessly into some of the softer tracks from their new upcoming acoustic album. His vocal range could only be described as outstanding! When Rodriquez announced that they would be returning to London in December for their own headline show at the Kentish Town Forum, the audience erupted into enthusiastic applause.

One of the most memorable parts of the night was when Vic called up from the audience, super fan Issy and brought her onto stage. He told her that he’d watched her sing every word and how grateful he was for her support for the band, he then sang her the beautiful ‘Hold On Till May’ and as if that wasn’t enough, he then took off his guitar and gave it to her!! Issy cried buckets and it was an absolutely heartwarming moment from a band who clearly adore their fans.

So, in conclusion: Get off your arses and go see ‘Pierce The Veil’ because, at the Ally Pally, they really were kings for the day!!!

Review and Photos by Louise Phillips Music Photography

Photos of Pierce The Veil

Photos of Dayseeker

Setlist:

Death of an Executioner
Caraphernelia
Circles
Karma Police (Radiohead cover)
Pass the Nirvana
A Match Into Water
Emergency Contact
Hold On Till May
Resilience
Bulletproof Love (Acoustic)
May These Noises Startle You In Your Sleep Tonight
Hell Above
The Jaws of Life

Encore:

Besitos
King for a Day