SWX in Bristol seems to be in a habit of putting on excellent gigs as of recently. Hosting Fatlip Festival, as well as the likes of EVERY TIME I DIE and THE STORY SO FAR in recent months the venue has been on a bit of a roll. Long may it continue, as it plays host to another one of Australia’s epic musical exports, THE AMITY AFFLICTION. Joined by a selection of support acts, this is certainly the type of fodder to keep this booming venue’s winning streak up.

ENDLESS HEIGHTS are up first, and despite a very good Eddie Vedder impression from the vocalist, their striped back alternative sound was lacking a little oomph throughout their set. The band were clearly ecstatic to be on stage, and that feeds real positive energy into the set, but the music lacks bass and feels thin, even if their drummer hits like an absolute sledgehammer. There are moments when ENDLESS HEIGHTS show that they know how to pick up the pace and inject some more excitement into their music, but its quickly washed away for another semi-ballad attempt. There just seems to be an overwhelming feeling that the band need to strike a better balance between their composite parts.

Rating: 5/10

They would never seem to be the template for the type of band to generate the reaction and carnage they do, but DREAM STATE continue to impress with every passing live set. Their energy is undeniable and the magnetic energy of frontwoman CJ is still astounding. The band only play a small selection of songs, and it does feel like an awfully short set, but within their allotted time the band inject some raging grooves, encourage a circle pit on the lethally slippy floor of SWX and also damn near bring the house down with an epic closer of White Lies. Considering how young this band are, and also how unlikely their sound is, it’s fair to put your money behind DREAM STATE rocketing upwards to command far bigger crowds than this in their career.

Rating: 8/10

It’s almost unfair to let THE PLOT IN YOU follow on from the excellent time that was DREAM STATE, but plod on they shall. The Ohio popcore act never really let the set take off, forgoing any dynamic faster than an enthusiastic foot tap. The set just feels lacking of anything vital, instead just doing the basics and nothing more. Towards the end of the set THE PLOT IN YOU pick things up, adding in some interesting grooves despite their sound feeling incredibly muzzled, both guitar and bass feeling second fiddle to the vocals instead of having their own strong foothold in the mix. The late burst of energy is short lived as the final song is essentially a mid tempo slog towards a crushing breakdown and despite the band encouraging all the pop fans to sing up, this pop identity doesn’t seem to do them any favours.

Rating: 4/10

THE AMITY AFFLICTION have been one of the more quietly consistent bands in the ever growing and evolving metalcore genre. Their roots are embedded in the basic blueprints of the genre, which means the majority of their material is packed with huge choruses and the odd beefy breakdown. Tracks like Open Letter, Shine On and Death’s Hand all prove the band’s ability to write incredibly venomous music that really comes into its own in the live environment. Of course they wouldn’t be anywhere without the huge hooks the group can write, and I Bring The Weather With Me and This Could Be Heartbreak fills these needs with ease.

With the fact that this tour is in support of their mixed-bag new record Misery, the majority of the set is filled with tracks off the record, with some just missing the mark entirely. D.I.E was one of the more contested songs on the record and with good reason, the songs comes across as a lazy attempt to get a sing along when they are capable of far better moments. Drag The Lake and Feels Like I’m Dying both go down a treat though and simply add more great tracks the bands already swelling reservoir.

THE AMITY AFFLICTION are incredibly outspoken about the struggles of mental illness, and because of this the highlight of the set comes from an emphatic All Fucked Up that simply washes over the room with its incredibly emotional closing moments. THE AMITY AFFLICTION have proven themselves to be a consistent band and now they’ve begun to venture into new realms the results have reaped some great tracks to add to their arsenal. A finer set list and this band will be on unstoppable form.

Rating: 8/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Bristol from A.M Photography here: