Live Review: The Amity Affliction / Fit For A King / SeeYouSpaceCowboy / Gideon - SWX, Bristol 18.01.2023

By Claire Hodgkins

Australian metalcore titans The Amity Affliction made their long awaited return to the UK to play a string of headline shows in celebration of their 2020 release, ‘Everyone Loves You…Once You Leave Them’. Joining them on this run, Gideon, SeeYouSpaceCowboy and Fit For A King – all of whom bought the heat to Bristol’s independent venue SWX.

First to take to the stage were American hardcore icons, SeeYouSpaceCowboy who wasted no time in kicking the night off. Their 30 minute set was crammed with riffs, high-jumps and spine tingling screams from lead vocalist Connie Sgarbossa who commanded the stage like no other.

Setlist:

Life as a Soap Opera Plot, 26 Years Running
The End to a Brief Moment of Lasting Intimacy
Armed With Their Teeth
With High Hopes and Clipped Wings
…And My Faded Reflection in Your Eyes
Misinterpreting Constellations
With Arms That Bind and Lips That Lock
Self Help Specialist Ends Own Life

Alabama based metalcore gods Gideon followed suit, with their 30 minute offering containing bass that ricocheted through the walls of the intimate club venue. Lead vocalist Dan McWhorter delivered faultless vocals, all whilst sporting a signature cowboy hat. A sea of bodies whirled around in circles, with the mosh pits already in full swing – confirming one hell of a night ahead for the metal heads in Bristol.

Bite Down
Cursed
More Power More Pain
Champions
Too Much Is Never Enough
Take Me
Take Off
No Love/No One

Main support for this tour came from Fit For A King, who arguably could be headlining venues of this calibre on their own. Their 10 song set perfectly encapsulated the very best of their expansive discography, suitable for both those familiar, and unfamiliar with the band. Synchronised jumps and choreographed head-bangs were just some of the scenes witnessed on stage. Highlights of their set included opening number, ‘The Hell We Create’, ‘The Price of Agony’ and 2018 hit single ‘When Everything Means Nothing’.

Setlist:

The Hell We Create
Breaking the Mirror
Annihilation
End (The Other Side’
The Price of Agony
Locked (in my head)
The Path
Times Like This
When Everything Means Nothing
God of Fire

Ahead of the main event, you could feel the excitement in the air as The Amity Affliction were about to take to the stage in Bristol for the first time in over three years. Opening with their mammoth hit, ‘Pittsburgh’, the room was crammed with metal heads passionately screaming along in unison.

Despite the tour being named after the bands most recent release, only two tracks played from the album made it onto the setlist. However, the band achieved a setlist that was the perfect mix of tracks from the last decade, with ‘Chasing Ghosts’ and ‘Death’s Hand’ being clear fan favourites. The band are notoriously known for their raw lyrics, with ‘All Fucked Up’, gaining a well deserved spot within the fourteen song set. After a brief acoustic sing-along, the band ramped things back up launching into ‘Ivy (Doomsday)’ from their 2018 release, ‘Misery’ followed by one of their more recent singles ‘Show Me Your God’.

All in all, The Amity Affliction put on a solid show and it’s been good to have them back in the UK at what could possibly be the tightest they’ve sounded live. It goes without saying, fans left the iconic club venue wanting more and more.

Setlist: