Pop punk is not dead. Thursday night in Pomona, the “Tonight We Feel Alive” tour was showcased at the Glasshouse, featuring American Fangs, The Wonder Years, Comeback Kid, and Four Year Strong. An even split between pop punk and hardcore, the lineup brought a good sized crowd and a whole lot of energy to the downtown venue.
Hailing from Houston, TX and generally unknown to the audience, American Fangs opened up the show with a rough and heavy sound, full of the kind of vocals that make you wonder how the singer has any voice left at all. Somewhere between hardcore and rap rock, the music was melodic enough to sit through, but the set wasn’t outstanding by any means.
Next up were The Wonder Years, bringing uplifting pop punk from Landsdale, PA. Their second full-length album, The Upsides, came out in January of this year and was just rereleased on Hopeless Records a few weeks ago with four new songs. On the meaning of the album, singer “Soupy” said, “The Upsides isn’t just twelve songs to me. It’s about hope. It’s about fighting back. You don’t like your life? Nobody’s going to change that for you.”
The Pennsylvania band brought so much energy that the crowd had dance before the music even started. Despite a few feedback issues early in, they played a nice combination of recent and older songs to the audience’s approval. The band also announced a headlining tour to start up in January, on which they’ll be playing this year’s release in full.
Comeback Kid brought out the Winnipeg hardcore with a much more refined sound than the opening act had; it was obvious that the Canadian band had been practicing their craft a lot longer. Just a few short months ago, their fourth full-length album, Symptoms + Cures, was released on Victory Records in America and Distort Entertainment in Canada. Their set included songs ranging from the first they had ever written to some from the new record.
Anyone who has seen this tour’s headliner before knows to expect good things. Four Year Strong, hailing from Massachusetts, is always sure to put on a high-energy, fun-filled set. Their music brings together deep throaty vocals, pop synthesizer beats and heavy handed breakdowns to the joy of pop punk fans everywhere. During the track “Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus,” from their ’07 release Rise or Die Trying, just before the breakdown was expected to hit, the band stopped playing and the room went black, but mosh-pits broke out in the silence anyway.
After a lengthy set and an almost-convincing farewell, the band came back for a two-song encore, including a touching acoustic performance of “One Step at a Time,” dedicated to “anyone who knows what it’s like to lose someone they care about. “ The song, from this year’s release Enemy of the World, led audience members to put up lighters and cell phones all around the room.
Overall, despite a mediocre opening act, the “Tonight We Feel Alive” tour was a success, pleasing a venue full of Southern California pop punk fans.
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