By Henry Groves
As December Falls were out on tour for their album released in July ‘Join the Club’. The band formed back in 2014, and was made up of Bethany Curtis (vocals), Ande Hunter (guitar) and Timmy Francis (bass). As this was the 17th show of a 20-date European tour, you would have excused the band for being a bit lethargic but from the off, the bands energy was apparent.
The packed out Scala, already warmed up by incredible supports Lizzy Farrell and Dream State, were also up for it and were jumping and dancing from the get go. They clearly have a dedicated fan base, with new and old As December Falls merch being worn by most of the front few rows and most of the crowd sang along constantly throughout the set, even with most of the songs coming from their most recent album. The bands stage presence was unbelievable, with Curtis dancing around the entire stage, whilst Hunter and Francis both moved across the stages to each side and often found jumping on and off of the risers at the front of the stage.
The band kept urging the crowd to mosh and crowd surf, whilst also stressing that “if anyone falls down, we pick them up”. The crowd were energetic throughout the mostly fast paced set, only taking a slight drop in tempo for the amazing acoustic version of ‘Happier’ which they played halfway through the setlist. But, as soon as it finished they were back to their high octane pop-punk, with the crowd back in full flow. The talent of the band was also clear, with Hunter delivering incredible guitar riffs, as well as the intricate performance during ‘Happier’. On top of this, Curtis’ phenomenal vocal range added to her energy making for a truly amazing show.
The setlist was made up mostly of their new album, with a few songs taken from their earlier releases. With songs like ‘No Money’ (As December Falls self titled album), ‘I Don’t Feel Like Feeling Great’ (Happier) and ‘Mayday’ (Join the Club) being my picks of the evening. The set seemed to race by before the band talked about playing the last couple of songs. “We could go off stage, make you chant 1 more song and waste some time, or we could just play 2 more songs” Hunter said, which made the crowd roar back into life. They finished the set with ‘Ride’ before the packed Scala started to head out into the streets, still overjoyed by the show they had just witnessed. If you get a chance to see As December Falls live, I would make sure you go, you will absolutely not regret it.
