Yellowcard, New Found Glory, Flycatcher, et I Am the Avalanche

Yellowcard’s debut Ocean Avenue came out over 10 years ago! There’s a lot to catch up on but with them still making new music and being one of the best live bands, Yellowcard are a band you need to know about. ‘Ocean Avenue’ and ‘Light Up The Sky’ are probably the songs you are most likely to have heard of, although they may be from sometime ago. When the band got back together after a break of several years, new music was soon to follow with the fantastic ‘When You’re Through Thinking Say Yes’ and the newest album ‘Southern Air’ featuring one of my personal favourites: ‘Here I Am Alive’. They perform a great mix of songs, both old and new in each setlist and really bring the crowd alive, whether at a festival or at one of their headlining shows, leaving everyone smiling, wanting more and remembering why Yellowcard have been around for so long; it doesn’t get much better than this. Fans of Yellowcard come in all shapes and sizes, those who’ve been with them for 10 years and those introduced there and then, but all can come together and go crazy for a night of fun, thanks to these great guys from California and next time, we hope to see you there!

It can be a challenge to find New Found Glory playing in a small venue, but if you manage it, you will enjoy one of the sweatiest, happiest moments of pop-punk bliss that are possible.

Whether it is watching Ian shake his belly and make hilarious faces or screaming through Hit or Miss until the legendary slide in the bridge, there are few bands able to engage a crowd so quickly and completely.

I have enjoyed Chad taking a more vocal role in keeping the shows moving. Perhaps it is only to help Jordan keep his voice at the ready, but I have appreciated the sense of humor and the plain speech.

Recently on the Parahoy cruise we were treated to 3 days in a row of small shows that remind you how long the list of classic anthems are in the New Found Glory catalog. Rain or shine, you will always get rewarded with a sweaty, loud, mosh at one of their shows.

Following lead singer Vinnie Caruana’s previous band, The Movielife, splitting, I am the Avalanche filled a massive gap in the gruff-pop-punk sort’ve genre. Since the release of latest record “Wolverines” the band are still growing at an exponential rate.
Their live show manages the raw intensity on their records. Towing a line between melodically heavy and catchy, huge singalongs are present for each track - especially those from the universally loved record “Avalanche United”. As Caruana jumps around the stage - and often, the crowd itself, the energy in the room is paramount, backed up by particularly strong guitar work. The crowd is moving and flowing, screaming their lungs out with smiles plastered on. The smiles are partly down to the funny banter provided in song breaks. Tracks like “Brooklyn Dodgers” and “Green Eyes” get gigantic reactions. Those kind of anthemic songs garner massive singalongs everywhere from basement venues to arenas supporting bands as big as Brand New. I Am the Avalanche are definitely crowd pleasers. Setlists are divided between all three of the band’s records nicely, allowing some older fan-favourites to be aired. I Am the Avalanche are a band whose performances are always heartfelt. You can tell that they love it; and so does the crowd.