Review: The Menzingers, PUP, Cayetana, SWX

Punk isn’t a genre known for producing smiles but Cayetana aren’t quite a punk band. Walking the line of indie pop-punk they are all grins and waves as they kick off this mammoth night. There’s the distinct impression that they aren’t used to having any space on the stage as they barely move from their mic stands during the set.

What they lack in energy and presence is more than made up for through their tracks. There’s an endearing sort of nervousness that couples nicely with lyrics about love, emotions and wellbeing and lead singer Augusta Koch is able to deliver them with sweetness, a snarl, or a shriek when necessary.

If Cayetana were missing any energy it might have been because PUP had stolen it. Storming the stage they move furiously through Doubts, Back Against the Wall and My Life is Over and I Couldn’t be Happier before they even address the swarming crowd.

A sea of fingers pump in the air to every word of each chorus and frontman Stefan Babcock launches from the drum kit at every opportunity. Half way through he tells the crowd that they’re “gonna play two love songs in a row, which is weird as we’ve only ever written two. The first is about my car and the second is about a chameleon that I miss.”

These aren’t your typical love song topics but Mabu and Sleep in the Heat aren’t typical love songs. Like everything that PUP writes they’re skate-punk anthems that you can imagine screaming into your mates face after a few pints, and plenty of people are.

Rounding out the set are The Dream is Over openers If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You Then I Will and DVP that blend together into a single shredding moment. The album title is a throwback to what Babcock was told by a doctor after he devastated his vocal chords. There wasn’t a hint of that here though and long may this raucous dream continue.

The Menzingers are still touring fifth album After the Party, a nostalgic look at a rebellious youth. Opening track to the album and set is Telling Lies that rants “where are we gonna go now our twenties are over?” But if The Menzingers are the example of what it is to be post-30 then there isn’t too much to worry about.

The band charge through their five album career playing highlights like Charlie’s Army, A Lesson in the Abuse of Information Technology, My Friend Kyle and Good Things. Like each band that has taken the stage they note how remarkable Bristol is as a music city. Tom May tells the crowd “I was born in Bristol, but Bristol Pennsylvania” as Greg Barnett jokes “I was conceived in the Bierkller” to which May responded “you’re probably not the only one.”

A huge variety of ages have turned out for their show, there’s fathers and daughters chanting together and a slightly older couple standing next to me scream along to every single lyric, especially when anthemic climax I Don’t Wanna be an Asshole Anymore rings out.

Coming back for their encore The Menzingers leave us with After the Party their cover of The Clash’s Straight to Hell and In Remission. As streamers fall from the ceiling there’s the feeling that an entire lifecycle has been seen across the three acts. Cayetana brought a boisterous take on pop-punk, PUP showed a band who refuse to stop touring and The Menzingers are looking at the consequences of being a post-30’s punk band. Each is as necessary as the other and I wouldn’t change a thing.