Having seen opening band Close Second once before, I knew what to expect which was not a whole lot, to be honest. They were described as ‘an extraordinary mix of punk, rock, hardcore and pop’. That description is only partly correct. Close Second is a mix of all of the genres said above, but the extraordinary part kind of went missing. They knew it, too, and after the first 2 or 3 songs, the singer apologized for his voice saying he had problems with it all week.

But, vocals aside, I got the impression they weren’t really into it and were happy to be done with the gig. Still, their music sounded okay, but with room for improvement. Trying to make some effort, they weren’t able to keep me interested for their entire set. A bit more playing and practice and maybe just a bit more feeling for it and I can see them becoming more than they are now. Only time will tell, I guess.

Next up, The Sedan Vault from Belgium. I was looking forward to seeing them again, because the first time I saw them I thought they were amazing. And for the second time, they didn’t disappoint me. Unlike Close Second, they got a better response from the crowd and got at least most of them going. It’s quite difficult to describe their music. They’ve got disturbed drums, a crazy bass, and some distortion to go with all of that. It goes from anywhere between indie-core and emo. A good plus was the diversity of their songs, which seemed to get everyone’s attention. Their EP should be coming out in the fall of next year, and I recommend getting it.

Last but not least: Face Tomorrow. Possibly the most touring Dutch band ever, going from the big cities to the little towns and everything in between. I’ve seen them a couple times before, and every time I have a good time. Think of bands like At the Drive In, Radiohead, Thursday and maybe a bit of Muse as well. They rock like you wouldn’t believe, but still manage to keep a melody in their songs. Switching from heavy, moving songs to more quiet and lyrical ones, they sure know how to put on a great show. Even though the term emo seems to be used whenever, wherever, Face Tomorrow isn’t trying to compete in the ‘who writes the most soppy/whiny love song’ competition. I guess the term hardcore-indie-punk-rock just about covers it. Their music is strong and gripping, without losing the subtlety of everything. Passionately intense from beginning to end, they once again delivered a great show.

Review by: Laura