Live: Mallory Knox

The first week of Freshers ended on a high, with a great gig being held on Saturday 10^th October in the Copper Rooms. Whilst I had been very much looking forward to Mallory Knox’s performance, the supporting bands were also unexpectedly brilliant. 

The night started off with The Gospel Youth, a Brighton band which formed this year from members of the previous bands The Auteur and Fleeing from Finales. They delivered sentimental pop punk to a small crowd.

This was a shame as they deserved to be heard by more. What they offered was not especially unique, and the vocalist excused his lack of interaction with the crowd. But they showed promise for a band who, so far, have only released two EPs (find them on iTunes). Their music was heartfelt, enjoyable and nostalgia-inducing.

After the more mellow The Gospel Youth, the snotty punk attitude of the Kenneths was all the more apparent.

Like The Gospel Youth, Kenneths were also a new, up-and-coming band, originating from London within the last year, and offering turbulent punk-rock. After the more mellow The Gospel Youth, the snotty punk attitude of the Kenneths was all the more apparent. For myself it was a welcome contrast, though it may not have appealed to all. But by this point, Mallory Knox’s time grew closer, and the crowd had grown.

No one could deny that the Kenneths were entertaining; the three-piece crashed through angst-fuelled songs with juvenile glee. The highlight was perhaps when vocalist, Joshua Weller, climbed into the crowd, utilising a member of the audience as a microphone stand and nicking a cheeky sip of his beer as those around him couldn’t help but reach out to touch Joshua’s awesome mohawk. And almost as soon as they had started, the Kenneths had finished, no doubt winning over new fans in the process – myself included. I was sure to get their two EPs from iTunes as soon as I got home.

Finally, Mallory Knox took to the stage to deliver their brand of alternative rock. Having seen them the previous week in their home town of Cambridge, it was great to see them on effectively my home turf. Whilst this show was more stripped back from their decorated set in Cambridge, it did not detract from their performance; it was more fitting for a band with an organic sound to feed off and respond to the energy of the crowd.

The members of Mallory Knox have a lovable charm about them: a warmness that contradicts the violent nature of their serial killer namesake

Though vocalist Mikey Chapman informed the crowd that he was suffering from a cold, which, combined with the fact that they played on the back of their ‘Homecoming’ tour, one can understand why his voice may have sounded a little strained by the end. But they did not disappoint. Mikey sang with passion, whilst Joe Savins (lead guitar), Sam Douglas (bass guitar), Dave Rawling (drums) and James Gillett (rhythm guitar) all played with ferocity.

The members of Mallory Knox have a lovable charm about them: they always look happy to be there, and a warmness comes across in their performances that contradicts the violent nature of their serial killer namesake from the film Natural Born Killers. You can see how they earnt a place on the mainstage at this year’s Download Festival, and you can expect them to reach greater heights.

They are able to move fluidly between the rawness of songs such ‘Dying to Survive’ (a personal favourite of mine from their second album Asymmetry, released in October last year) to the likes of the beautiful ‘Heart and Desire’. They energy of the crowd was palpable, with a growing moshpit forming in the centre. As per usual, they closed with ‘Lighthouse’, which is always a crowd pleaser and certainly was a satisfying end to an awesome gig. Mallory Knox can be sure that they came away with new fans that evening.

Slowly the crowd dispersed; for those who weren’t ready for the party to end, they headed upstairs for Crash.