LIVE REVIEW: Electric Callboy, Monuments, As Everything Unfolds, Guildhall, Portsmouth, 22/10/2023
There is a name on everyone’s lips when the hot topic of leading European innovative metalcore bands comes up and it’s Electric Callboy. Despite the name being new to the scene (the band formerly under a previous alias) Electric Callboy have been grinding out party popping, show stopping dance infused bangers as far back as their 2012 debut album Bury Me in Vegas goes. Then for a solid decade after this and their Tekkno train of wild heavy throw downs shows no signs of slowing down as they stop off at their first destination on a solid out UK tour at Portsmouth Guildhall. With enough moves to fill an entire Just Dance game Electric Callboy bring their wackiest and wildest electronicore party to this seaside town.
As Everything Unfolds illuminate the Guildhall in a hue of magenta metalcore and a see-saw of stunning and screamed vocals from Charlie Rolfe. Newer tracks taken from their 2023 album Ultraviolet such as Slow Down, Twilight and Felt Like Home radiate gorgeous synth work whilst On The Inside and Hiding From Myself give us punchy drums enough to to sweep us off our feet in the beautiful yet heavy allure this band have the capability of clearly delivering. Bogged down by slight sound issues, but despite all of this, this band deserves to be bigger than they currently are. 8/10
Monuments are hands down one of the hardest grinding bands in the djent scene. Coming fresh off the back of a US headlining tour and support slot with Jinger, as well as having made several UK Festival appearances at Radar and Download Festival this year, this band never sleeps, especially when you consider how busy every single band member in this band is, vocalist Andy Cizek having projects with Termina and Makari, Bassist Werner Erkelens also being in Aviations and guitarist John Browne and drummer Mike Malyan with their respective endeavours too.
They say hard work pays off and Monuments deserve every inch of success they get and with a crowd energy like the one they pulled tonight and every other night this band is in every town across the world, this is perhaps where they feel the deserved love the most. From the moment they come out of the gates with A.W.O.L to the moment they leave the stage in buckets of sweat after Degenerate, Monuments set felt like they were the ones headlining Guildhall. 10/10
Electric Callboy stepped out onto stage with set opener Tekkno Train and gave a new dictionary definition to the word pop off. 3,000 frantic fans bounce and erupt into a ball of complete chaos, and no band has the ability to match or exceed a wild crowd’s pent up energy levels as much as Electric Callboy do.
Video tapes and confetti cannons rival the sparklers and party poppers you would get at a conventional party, but this is an Electric Callboy party so they bring out the supersized pyro to rival any of the above, especially as MC Thunder II booms through Portsmouth.
Just like the brief moment of solitude you get when you sit down in a game of musical chairs in Electric Callboys case giving this to the crowd for a piano led moment, before you know it it’s time to get up and groove like there is no tomorrow as Electric Callboy round off their party with the blood pumping We’ve Got The Moves, quite literally moving every single body that still packs out their party at Portsmouth Guildhall. 9/10
Written By: Katie Conway-Flood
