Following the highly anticipated release of their second LP ‘London Road’, and their world tour with various festival appearances, Modestep came back to the UK. With support from Culprate and DJ Hatcha, they put on a show at the 02 Academy in Birmingham with as much as energy as expected from the London based band.
DJ Hatcha kicked off the night with his classic dubstep infused set, who was then followed by Culprate. Along with MC Maksim, they shook the crowd with his signature electronic sound in the form of dubstep, drum & bass, and drumstep. The stage was then set and ready for the arrival of Modestep, with countless LEDs and of course the loudest speakers possible.
Modestep’s 90 minute set consisted of various tracks from their 2013 debut album ‘Evolution Theory’, as well as the expected tracks from ‘London Road’. The bass-heavy band created an electric atmosphere from the very beginning, opening with the album’s first track, Damien. Remixes of their own tracks and also influences from other artists were featured also, most notably the guitar intro from Nirvana’s ‘Smells like Teen Spirit’.
The band’s lead vocalist Josh Friend always ensures a lively crowd and keeps energy high throughout the set, as well as supplying consistently exceptional vocals for their tracks. Pat Lundy on drums and Kyle Deek on guitar created the perfect balance of live instruments, in unison with Tony Friend’s mixing on the decks. Their set list covered a range of genres; including rock, dubstep, drum & bass and even some metal for the encore, thanks to London Road’s ‘Circles’ which features the Welsh metal band Skindred. They also played their recently released remix of Karma Fields & Morten’s ‘Stickup’, which was unreleased prior to the gig, and it went down just as well as their bigger hits such as ‘Sunlight’ and ‘Show Me a Sign’.
As to expect from an electronic-rock fused band, it was not for somebody looking for a chilled night, and they put on a show that was exactly what any Modestep fan could hope for. Unfortunately, their UK tour has now came to a close, however they’ve already announced that they’ll be supporting Enter Shikari for their European tour, so it’s without any doubt they’ll be back next year whether at festivals or during tour.
An incredible all-round show; something that any fan of rock or energy fuelled gigs should experience.
Calum Whittingham
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