FOLLOWING a month of punk rock, Quays News entertainment reporter Nathan Smith continued his run by visiting the heavier side of the genre as Sum 41 continued their Kerrang! tour at Manchester’s Albert Hall…
I don’t know if anyone else in Manchester has felt it, but a wave of punk rock has been passing through the city as punk rock refuses to die in it’s own rocking revival. In a short time period we’ve had Bowling For Soup, Good Charlotte, All Time Low and last night saw Sum 41, supported by Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, join the ranks of the genre’s greatest.
With his recent battle against alcoholism, the fact that Deryck Whibley and the rest of the band even made it to Albert Hall is an achievement in itself. Following a long break from the limelight, the announcement that the whole band would be part of the Kerrang! Tour 2016 was met with high appraisal as tickets quickly sold out.
@Sum41 were top notch tonight ?? pic.twitter.com/Vio4s7yfVO
— Blue Tick Tom (@Tom_Shepz) February 18, 2016
The announcement that Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes would be joining them only added to the electric atmosphere that buzzed around the wooden walls of the hall, offering the perfect acoustics for a night of distorted guitar thrashing in good-ol’ rock ‘n’ roll.
Entering the stage to a medley of rock tracks, one can’t help but delve into the idea that ACDC’s ‘T.N.T‘ leading into the set acts as the perfect evolution of Sum 41 from their heavy influences.
The atmosphere of Albert Hall was one of high-energy fist pumping and aggressive sing-alongs. Credit for generating the very energy of the night wholeheartedly deserves to go towards support act Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes.
Feisty and ready for a fight at any moment, the ferociousness of Frank Carter made Sum 41’s performance possible. Getting the crowd jumping and even joining the ranks following a stage dive to create a mosh pit to circulate around him, unafraid to bring the entire gig to a halt after being unsatisfied with the quality of the pit.
Bursting into their position’s, frontman Deryck Whibley crept onto the stage with a menacing grin as he immediately establishes what kind of a night it is going to be. Spitting on the stage with a shrug of the shoulders, he leapt into the first track of the night ‘Over My Head‘ as Manchester fell into a punk-rock frenzy, and the crowd remained there throughout the show.
Known for tracks such as ‘Fat Lip‘ and ‘In Too Deep‘, which both easily slot into the craze that hit the early 2000s with bands such as Blink 182 and Green Day dominating the scene, it’s 41’s other tracks that pull them in another direction and sets them apart.
Tracks like ‘88‘, ‘Walking Disaster‘ and ‘Handle This‘ truly demonstrate just how unique they are. Intense guitar licks, solos to make heavy metal bands jealous, and a stage presence which initiates the rebellious defiance the Manchester crowd came to witness, are all ingredients for the perfect concoction of a Sum 41’s return .
Overall, the return of Sum 41 marks a triumphant showcase of a rock resurgence. The wave is still sending shockwaves through the city as it recovers from the inevitable hangover of being intoxicated on those pure vigorous rock vibes.
By Nathan Smith
@NayfSmith
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