Jeff Rosenstock @ The Owl Sanctuary

After the heartbreaking fall of Norwich’s Owl Sanctuary last month, a new hybrid venue has risen from the ashes and once again given us a place to wind down and turn up with good friends and good beer. On the 18th of March the new Owl ushered in a night of (mostly) bloody great music, and it was lovely to see the place packed with fans and night time socials; smiles and laughs made a great backdrop for a marvellous evening.

First up was MC iPod. Thankfully he’d described himself on his fan website as a white-boy-nerd-electro-rap-pop-punk musician, because if he hadn’t of stated it somewhere I would be fucking clueless. Taking to the stage in a cape, wrestling mask, and a light up colour changing LED unicorn horn, it really was a sight I would pay money to not see again. I was at first taken aback, trying to gather thoughts and decide if I was in pure shock or complete awe. Seconds later, I realised it was a feeling of shock, delicately peppered with that horrible bubble you get in your throat when you’re not sure if you’re going to cry, or just throw up. Although lacking any real musical talent, his ability to freestyle about random objects, pull off a wrestling mask, and just seem like a genuinely lovely guy, popped the audience straight into the palm of his hand. We had to choose between not staying in the room in case the performance got better and we discovered a track which actually made it all worthwhile, or staying in the room because of a mutual agreement that there is safety in numbers, and we didn’t want anyone to feel any more awkward than they already did. We stayed in the room. Ending with the most drastic stagedive live music has ever seen, the set was over. 10/10 for effort, not all heroes wear capes, but this one did.

After ordering and downing a well needed shot of raspberry Sambuca (would not recommend), taking to the stage next was Pulo Reve, a progressive post hardcore outfit from St Albans. Mirroring the sounds of Enter Shikari, the boys gave a passionate performance, but at times unfortunately showing a pretentious and overambitious side to the band. Front man became almost uncomfortable to watch on some tracks. Unless, of course, singing through a T-shirt, throwing your body around on and off stage, running into a wall and head banging with a denim jacket covering your face is your cup of tea, but it didn’t quite tickle my pickle. I don’t think they have mastered the skills of stage presence to fully make it work in the way in which they had hoped, and this is what makes people spend money on a ticket instead of just staying in and listening to the album. Take note guys. Saying this, the set was mildly enjoyable with some great tracks showing the raw talent the boys clearly posses and an understanding of how to thread complex guitar plucking in between heavier sounds. The stand out track was Beautiful, with a belter of a line; "Baby don’t speak to me, I can’t bear to see you this happy" serves as an effective outro to what is one of their best songs. Not a bad performance, and not a bad band at all, but I couldn’t help but feel as if I was dipped in and out of a group which have a lot to offer but was unfortunately overshadowed by the desire to look cool.

Leeds local three piece Great Cynics were warmly welcomed onto the stage later on in the evening, making music which can best be described as pop punk but with a softer folk sound rather than the belting effort you hear from bands like The Story So far. With both a male and female singer the band are a real treat to watch, and the whole set up is quite endearing. They’ve been bopping around for a while making great music, and I was really excited to finally see them live. Thankfully they gave a wonderful performance. The sound of a semi acoustic guitar played through a foot pedal to give it almost a fuzzy sound was something that I instantly loved, and enjoyed throughout their set. The memorable bar stool on the middle of the stage was soon graced by the bottom of the wonderful Cal Hudson (Curves and Nerves), who was having a whale of a time sipping on beer and having a more intimate experience with the band. This small but hilarious moment took the audience to a level of friendship, and laughter which is really what music is about. Not a barrier between fans and artists, but a common love for music and fun. In a venue like the Owl Sanctuary, this went down a treat. Reeling off crowd pleaser after crowd pleaser, the set was well structured and really just painfully perfect. This band are your friends, it just so happens they make bloody awesome music too. Thank you to the truly Great Cynics.

Last but definitely not least, Headliner Jeff Rosenstock took to the stage. Notoriously one of the hardest working musicians in the scene, with an impressive musical past, being front-man in a ska-punk band (Arrogant Sons of Bitches), and his part in the musical collective Bomb The Music Industry! He truly is a legend and a privilege to see live. Jeff and the band make the sort of music you can’t help but want to dance to; lyrically, very down to earth and simplistic, musically, complex and filled of passion, hard work and raw talent, yet extremely effective and heart-warming. Although I went to the gig mainly for Great Cynics, I enjoyed Rosenstock's performance just as much, and it’s clear to see why he has such a large, loyal fan base. As the songs came through thick and fast, the crowd began to move and sing along, mainly to the more popular tracks such as You, In Weird Cities, the crowd in a frenzy and there was not a single person in the room who didn’t seem to have a beaming smile, a truly great atmosphere to be a part of. Although one of my close ‘friends’ spilling red wine on my shoes normally would have sent me into some sort of state of shock, it was almost impossible to be pissed off in a room filled of such happy music. So thank you Jeff, for giving a great set, making my evening less disappointing, and letting me forget for 45 minutes about my now red stained Converse. A man of many talents so it seems. Don’t stop doing what you’re doing, and come back to Norwich soon!