aaamusic | On 26, Aug 2015

Thursday 13th August, Liverpool

Having not seen Touché Amoré since their headline tour back in 2012, my excitement had been growing for this show with considerable anticipation. Their latest full length, Is Survived By, sees the band build on the melodies that had been sprinkled intermittently on their second full length, Parting The Seas Between Brightness And Me, a record that catapulted the band further into the cosmos with new fans and critics alike. Over the time, the band has progressed astronomically with bigger, more luscious melodies, leaving endless possibilities for the band’s future endeavours.

Due to my lateness, Loma Prieta were finishing up their set in the dimly lit O2 Academy, with thunderous sounding guitars and guttural vocals that could make the most timid of us wince with fear. While the band weren’t exactly as instantly catchy as tonight’s headliners, they were different and definitely interesting, which is exactly what you desire from a support act.

The atmosphere in the room for Touché Amoré felt a little subdued – maybe because the room wasn’t packed out as it could be – but this minor concern did nothing to affect the band’s performance. From the get-go the band ripped into ‘Amends’ of Parting The Sea Between Brightness and Me, causing a frenzy in the audience, and the band reciprocated this, as Jeremy Bolm’s guttural screams instilled the very emotions that have been etched into his lyrics. Touché Amoré have always been an autobiographical band, with lyrics from each album giving you a closer look into the mind of Bolm, captivating you with his words.

The highlight for me this evening was hearing the two-part song ‘Praise/Love’ and ‘Anyone/Anything’, which has to be one of the catchiest songs on their latest record, and is ironic considering the style of music the band write and perform; for all its abrasiveness, you can still find a tongue-in-cheek pop-sensibility in it. All in all, tonight was an excellent experience.

Joe Sheridan