By Spring Wise.
Saturday night at The Engine Rooms was packed full of energy for New Years Day, supported by Conquer Divide. I was excited when this gig exceeded capacity from The Joiners, to fill one of Southampton’s more wheelchair-accessible venues, and it was packed.
Conquer Divide are a metalcore/alt rock band from North America with a huge energy on stage. Fiercely female and full of fun perfectly balanced with musical aggression, it was a delight to watch them play – and it really did feel playful – as they warmed the crowd into a jumping ocean of sensory joy.
(They’ve done a banging cover of Bad Guy by Billie Eilish – find it where you stream music.)
Headline act, California’s New Years Day, delighted with a passionate and theatrical set that left everyone desperate for more (seriously, most of the crowd hung around for a few minutes just in case they treated us to a second encore).
They are alt/goth metal in style but with a real punk rock stage presence, especially from mesmerising guitarists Nikki Mysery and Jeremy Valentyne (when did rock stars stop having names like that? Petition to bring it back…) this is a band who want to give their fans something special.
Ash Costello is mesmerising, but like that one really cool goth girl at your school who will sit next to you at lunch even though you’re a massive nerd. She may be dripping with talent and magnetism but I feel like part of the job, for her, is making everyone in the room feel seen, and it’s beautiful. Absolutely not afraid to get right in the middle of the seething throng, either!
I briefly stopped breathing when she held my hand and made eye contact for a few seconds, effortlessly transforming me into a teenage boy having the best three seconds of his life. This is what makes a gig special, and I’m so glad I was there.
Absolutely listen to them, and buy their new album (I have pre-ordered it, it’s called Deep Black Heart) but what you really need to do is see them live. The production on some tracks is more reminiscent of Evanescence with melodic vocals very prominent in the mix, and that isn’t as much to my personal taste and doesn’t do justice to the crashing surge of sound the live show drowns you in. (I was very close to the speaker stack and briefly thought I would vomit from reverb. But in a fun way.) Any fan of metal will have a beautiful frenzy at a New Year’s Day show, trust me.
It’s been a few years since they last came to the UK, but Ash says Southampton has a special place in their heart (and let’s be honest, we do turn out a great crowd) so I hope to catch them again soon.
Song recommendations: Kill Or Be Killed, and Come For Me.
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