Four Year Strong (w/ New Found Glory) -  Manchester Academy 1 - 21.11.08

An amalgamation of dirty, filthy, beautiful hardcore breakdowns and pristine pop punk sensibilities that glisten with quirky synths and feelgood sentiments, make for very exciting listening. Four Year Strong bring with them, all the way from Massachusetts, their self confessed (according to Myspace) Shoegaze / Melodramatic Popular / Concrete songs, all fresh from their release “Rise or Die Trying”, placing them high amongst the discerning, genre-conscious, contemporary big players of the industry. That is to say that Four Year Strong are an incredibly fun experience with none of the pretence you might have come to expect from the scene...

    The set kicks off with a hard and fast explosion of gang vocals, crunchy riffage and Four Year Strong’s signature uber long sentence strings that represent some kind of nu school punk rap. The opener “Prepare to be Digitally Manipulated” sets the scene well and definitely adheres to the old adage, “start as you mean to go on”. The band venture between half time and double time, making frequent stops at “massively catchy breakdown central”. Next up is the build up track “The Takeover” leading into the band’s latest single “Bada Bing Wit’ a Pipe”, showcasing not only the band’s impressive technicality but their speedy “to me to you” vocal melodies. The venue is vibrant and positive in regard to the band’s visually impressive, jumping, spinning stage show.

    The set lasts a meagre 25 minutes but is dense with awesome as we have come to expect. The closing classic “Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die ” strikes a chord amongst the fans who collectively say their goodbyes whilst singing along to the anthemic chorus “Sad enough to say that alone I could barely light a match, but together we can burn this place down!” Another day, another amazing set from one of the most promising underground acts of the moment

Ben Herbert

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