Neck Deep have been on my concert bucket list for a while now and I finally got to check them off. They’re one of my favorite bands, and every time they’ve come to my area, I’ve been busy. So when they took The Peace and the Panic tour to The Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts, I got tickets as soon as I could. I wasn’t missing out this time. So far, this is the best show of 2018. (It’s only the second I’ve gone to so far, but let’s forget about that for a little while, guys.)

The show opened up with Creeper, and like Neck Deep, they’re from the U.K. I listened to them a little bit on the way to the show and I liked the fact that the lead vocalist’s voice was so unique. A lot of times, I feel like punk music can be a bit sonically redundant, but the lead singer has such an original vocal style that I can’t mistake a Creeper song for a song by any other artist. I experienced my first circle pit during their set, so that was mildly frightening, but interesting, nevertheless. A fun fact I learned about this band is that they’re on Roadrunner Records, the same label that used to host the meme-famous Nickelback.

Next of the four bands was Speak Low If You Speak Love, who were the self-professed “mellow” band on the tour, but they still held their own. They were also the only band from the U.S. on the tour. Unfortunately, I spent most of the show in the merch line, but I actually thought it gave me a better idea of what the band sounded like live. A lot of times I’m focused on being close to the stage, which definitely muddies the sound, and it was kind of nice to have a fully cohesive idea of each band’s style. They released a new album a couple of weeks back called Nearsighted. They played a seven song set, four being from the new album. I’d strongly suggest everyone check it out, as I love the sound of it.

Finally out from the endless merch line, I slipped back into the crowd for Seaway. They’re from Canada, which anyone could guess from the fact that they have a song called “Keep Your Stick on the Ice”. Seaway continued the opening excellence with a fantastic set, proving once again: Always get to the show early, kids. You never know where your new favorite band is hiding. The band’s energy was great, they sang a lot of (what seemed to me) classics from their discography, and really enjoyed their time on stage. I love to see that authenticity from a band, it really helps me get into it regardless of whether I know the band or not.

Finally, after waiting for a long time, Neck Deep got on stage. For their set-up, they covered the stage in a huge white sheet, to provide an air of mystery, I suppose. They played what could only be called an explosive set. It was totally worth the wait to see them in an indoor venue, rather than at Warped or another festival like that. It’s more personal and there are less distractions.

They opened with “Happy Judgement Day” from their latest album, then proceeded to play a well balanced mix of their new and old stuff. They also played “December” from their 2015 release, Life’s Not Out to Get You with the full band, rather than the original acoustic recording. They released the full band version on a deluxe version of that album, but I was surprised that they played it that way. I figured it would be the start of the inevitable acoustic part of most of these shows. They ended up playing “Head to the Ground” acoustically, a song with a chaotic and angry original recording. I thought it was a cool twist.

Something I really liked about The Peace and the Panic is how mature it is from a lyrical standpoint. Both Ben Barlow (lead vocals) and Fil Thorpe-Evans (bassist) sang “Wish You Were Here” and you could’ve heard a pin drop. The moment felt so genuine, the crowd waved lighters in the air instead of cell phones. The band took the opportunity to talk about mental health and how their hope as a band is to help people see the value in their lives. It was a really wonderful time and something that’s much needed in the alt scene.

They played a two song encore and ended the show with “Where Do We Go When We Go”, which was honestly the perfect song to end such a great show with. It was high energy and the final track on the album, so it tied everything together nicely. It was a great night and I hope I’ll get the opportunity to see them live again.

by Nadia Paiva

Nadia Paiva has been a music enthusiast since she can remember. Going to shows is her main pastime. The other is being upset when she can’t go to shows. This is her first official venture into writing about music. You can follow her on Twitter.