Forever The Sickest Kids at The Borderline
Forever The Sickest Kids – The Borderline – 8 March 2010
Words and photo’s by Brendan Monteiro
Pop punk goes hand in hand these days with 14 year old girls screaming to the point that their lungs give in, so I found myself approaching this show with an ounce trepidation. On the other hand when you go into something with no expectations chances are the event will surpass your presumptions, which it did. First off the bat are Blackpool’s Me Vs Hero, within seconds the dullness of chilly London life is transformed and although not everyone is fully involved, there is a great deal of noise from the crowd for them nonetheless. Sam Thomson leads the way with a far more edgy voice then I was expecting from a quick visual glimpse at their myspace. Their song’s at time venture to the outskirts of hardcore and it’s these moments that really tug my attention and with a recent feature in Front Magazine I am sure that we will be hearing a lot more from this lot.
As the waiting draws on the feverish excitement for the headliners becomes almost unbearable with girls running down the stairs belting out ear numbing “whoo hoo’s” and soon enough the empty spaces sweep away. Forever The Sickest Kids finally make their way on stage and don’t waste any time to get the party started. Beats fill the air with bass and percussion and soon enough the whole place is in a spin. Jonathan Cook stands at the edge of the stage almost looming over the crowd and looks as if at any minute he might jump right in. What Do You Want From Me is a party stomper and when it is unleashed half way through the set the night fires up a notch, the chorus is like an anthem for a keg bash and Jonathan does not battle to get the crowd participating.
There are two things that I really found amazing about Forever The Sickest Kids. First is that every member seems viable as a front man, they all share the spotlight and bask in it. They all share the stage instead of just playing as a backdrop to their singer and it’s this fact that I think will make them stronger than most pop punk acts. Secondly is the absence of immature jokes that so many bands from the same genre force on crowds, as far as I am concerned if your going to do it you have to do it ably and I have not seen bands do it properly other than Blink 182 and Guttermouth. FTSK definitely have their humourous side but it’s in moderation and actually comes out funny rather than forced and tactless.
As the band make their way off stage the calls for an encore grow louder and louder and just before a riot is imminent the boys come back for one final song. The mass of fans make their choice between a cover of Kesher or Whoa Oh (Me Vs. Everyone) and soon enough the room is in total chaos. Arms and legs become a blur and in the blink of an eye the entire stage is invaded, it looks like a giant pile up and Jonathan, Marc, Caleb, Austin, Kent and Kyle are all the victim. In the end I think I wasn’t the only person who had their expectations completely blow away, I don’t think FTSK themselve could ever have expected such a stand out show.
Setlist: Tough Love, Hey Brittany, My Worst Nightmare, She Likes (Bittersweet Love), Phone Call, Believe Me, I’m Lying, What Do You Want From Me, I Don’t Know About You…But I Came Here To Dance, Hip Hop Chick, She’s A Lady. Encore: Whoa Oh! (Me vs Everyone)
March 14th, 2010
I photogged these guys when they were opening for All Time Low and The Rocket Summer in Spring 2008. As the review indicates, they definitely put on a lively show with every member of the band animated. They were also great at interacting with the crowd. I think their songs offer more complex arrangements then other bands of their genre.