UMass Lowell Connector Logo

Live review: The Story So Far, Basement, Turnover

Photo Courtesy of Jen Derosiers
Jen Derosiers

Connector Editor

Since their formation in 2007, The Story So Far have built a large fan following, quickly becoming one of the biggest names in the pop-punk scene. Following the release of their self-titled album “The Story So Far” this past May, the band embarked on a U.S. fall tour with new material, accompanied by supporting acts Basement from Ipswitch, UK and Turnover from Virginia Beach, Va. Kicking off in Fort Collins, Colo. and set to close in Petaluma, Calif., the three aforementioned bands recently made a stop at the Palladium for the Massachusetts date of the tour.

The show began with Boston locals Jack Romanov, who had been invited by The Story So Far to play with them. The band was formed back in 2012 when the members were all still at Suffolk University and later went on to release their first EP “Get Some Sleep.” After being signed onto Naked Ear Records that same year, Jack Romanov released their debut album, “Sincerely, Jack Romanov.”

Energetic and enthusiastic, the band was faced with the job of getting the crowd amped for the bigger acts on the roster, something that they had no problem doing. By the time the band had finished the last song of their set, the crowd was ecstatic, cheering both with approval from Jack Romanov’s performance and excitement for the next band of the night, Turnover, to get on stage.

Second act of the night was Virginia Beach, Va. natives, Turnover. Since signing onto Run for Cover Records, the band has gone on to release two EPs, two split albums and two studio albums. Along with this, the band has also embarked on multiple major tours alongside other well-known bands in the pop-punk scene such as Major League, Moose Blood, Citizen and New Found Glory.

During Turnover’s set, the first crowd surfers of the night made their appearance, screaming lyrics and pumping their fists as security struggled to catch and lift every single one of them away from the rowdy crowd and over the barrier. The band’s set featured songs off of their latest release, “Peripheral Vision” and front man Austin Getz thanked the crowd multiple times, genuinely thankful that such as large crowd was watching their set, calling that particular performance, “the biggest show we’ve ever played.”

Ipswich, UK natives, Basement took the stage next and their popularity within the pop punk scene was clear. Formed in 2009 from the members of a previous pop punk band, In This For Fun, Basement released their first EP “Songs About The Weather” in May of 2010 and were signed to Run For Cover Records a few months later. After releasing two studio albums, “I Wish I Could Stay Here” and “Colormeinkindness” in 2011 and 2012 respectively, Basement announced that they would be taking an indefinite hiatus. Following this hiatus, the five-piece band recently finished their summer U.S. tour and are set to release their third studio album, “Promise Everything” next January.

Playing a combination of newer and older songs, Basement put on an electrifying performance and kept the energy levels high in the room as the they thrashed around on stage, putting in 110% the entire time, the crowd trying to keep up with their pace. By the end of Basement’s set, the room was filled with a new energy as the exhausted crowd waited for the final and most anticipated act of the night.

Headliner and one of the leading pop-punk bands in the scene, The Story So Far was formed in 2007 in Walnut Creek, Calif. After releasing two EPs and getting signed onto Pure Noise Records, the band went on to release their debut album, “Under Soil and Dirt” in June 2011. Following this, The Story So Far went on to release their second studio album “What You Don’t See” in March of 2013, which ended up debuting at number 46 on the Billboard 200 U.S. chart. Since then the band has gone on to play the main stage at the Vans Warped Tour during the duration of the summer of 2014 and have released another full length album, “The Story So Far” on May 19, 2015.

The second The Story So Far’s banner went up, the room was filled with shrieks and cheers because it was finally time for the headlining band, the band that most of the crowd had been waiting for. Kicking off their set with “Nerve,” The Story So Far did not fail to impress, fully meeting expectations. As security guards struggled to keep the crowd under control which had become a swarm of moving bodies, the band did nothing to stop the madness as Parker Cannon urged the crowd to “spin the fuck around” and start a circle pit. As the set continued, fans managed to sneak onto the stage and jump back off into the crowd as the band continued to play fan-favorite after fan-favorite. By the time the set had ended, several people had been injured but nonetheless, the crowd had gotten their money’s worth.

Tags , ,

Junior Journalism major with a double minor in Photography and Digital Media Studies. Self-proclaimed cat connoisseur. Interests include attending concerts, listening to music, Netflix, taking pictures and avocados. Photos can be found at http://www.jendesrosiers.com

Related posts