Review: The Maine, SWX

If you’re old enough to remember their breakout song, ‘In Your Arms’ splashed over Kerrang! TV, you’d be forgiven for wondering a) how The Maine are still a thing and b) how they’re playing packed shows at venues the size of Bristol’s SWX. The short answer: they’ve grown immeasurably in the past decade. Arriving on the back of two acclaimed (among critics) and adored (by their devoted fanbase) records in the past few years, The Maine seem on more solid ground than ever before, a mean feat for a band that started out playing Warped Tour mall punk almost fifteen years ago.

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Opening the early show, Sun Arcana thrash gamely away but their vocalist is still suffering from some throat problems that have apparently plagued the tour thus far. While their enthusiasm can’t be faulted, they struggle through a muddy mix and the singer’s illness.

Next up Stand Atlantic bound on at their energetic best, Bonnie Fraser immediately taking charge of the crowded dance floor and making sure we’re warmed up, with singalongs, circle pits and pogo jumping. They’ve brought plenty of their own fans in tonight, with the words to a new single being belted out loud as any other tune in their set. A youthful group full of vim and purpose, expect the Australian’s back playing in Bristol on their own steam soon enough.

A countdown on the big video screen centring the stage announces The Maine’s arrival, slinking on in matching suits and launching straight into two numbers from You Are OK, their newest, most confident and slickest release to date.

John O’Callaghan has all but eschewed playing a guitar in favour of prowling the stage and revving up already ecstatic fans. ‘Like We Did’ follows, illustrating the 2012 turning point where the group put pop-punk to one side and embraced influences from blues, alt-rock and Americana. It’s still one of their very strongest songs as well as acting as the waypoint at which they took their destiny firmly in their own hands.

‘Am I Pretty’ gets everyone down on their haunches before erupting to their feet for a joyous final chorus, ‘Fucked Up Kids’ allows guitarists Kennedy Brock and Jared Monaco to trade solos over one of the heavier tunes on display. All the while a fantastic lighting show and inventive video footage elevate the performance to a level that puts plenty of arena bands to shame, dramatic pre-recorded spoken word introing many of the new songs.

A solo version of ‘(Un)Lost’ sees a touching moment where O’Callaghan cedes the microphone to a young fan called Chloe, who absolutely smashes her verse. It’s this bond and trust between band and fans which is key to their continuing growth, with The Maine rewarding devotion and patience in spades.

It bears repeating; few bands that got their break on Warped Tour for simplistic pop-punk would find themselves playing essentially only new songs on a world tour over a decade later. It’s to their immense credit that the most recent two albums dominate tonight’s show.

An electric encore features their anthem ‘Black Butterflies and Deja Vu’ before a swirling ten minutes of guitars and reverberating vocals close the evening with ‘Flowers on the Grave’ just it bookends the record. A brilliant evolution of their sound that never left their hardcore stans behind, The Maine are an example in navigating modern rock.

All images by Laura Jones-Gerrard