Microwave showcased their immense new material from third album 'Death Is A Warm Blanket', and pleased fans with a good selection of new and old tracks. The bands' gritty sound saw the energy levels in the venue heighten and began to set the tone for the evening.
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Microwave join the emotionally-enthusiastic emo/math rockers Tiny Moving Parts on their current UK and EU tour supporting their new album Breathe which saw them play Southampton’s The 1865.
The Atlanta-based 4-piece have also just recently released a new LP themselves with Death Is A Warm Blanket and this tour served as an opportunity to showcase their highly anticipated 3rd album. Microwave are no newcomers to the punk scene down here in Southampton, as they also supported Creeper at the city’s biggest venue, the O2 Guildhall back in December 2017. It is no doubt that Microwave’s presence on the lineup helped towards various nights of the tour selling out, including this one.
Microwave took to the stage to a relatively energetic welcoming. The venue packed out minutes before they appeared and the band drew in plenty of attention from the emos eagerly awaiting for the headline act. The quartet dove straight into new single ‘DIAWB’, the abbreviated title track from their new album. The track went down well with the audience who were then rewarded with ‘Lighterless’ which is one of Microwave’s most recognised and accomplished singles. The track saw the first mosh of the evening break out and you could sense the energy levels in the 750-cap venue.
The band took little time between songs to mention the new album and remind punters that they have merch on sale at the back of the venue. ‘Stovall’ took its place in the middle of the setlist, the title track from their 2014 debut album Stovall. The band played a pleasing mixture of songs from all three releases, and it was a good enough variation to satisfy long-time fans whilst flaunting material from their new album to could-be fans.
‘Float To The Top’ caused some levels of chaos inside the sweaty venue, the grungey post-hardcore track from the latest album summed up the direction Microwave are heading in and definitely caught the attention of many in attendance. The instantaneous bend in sound in the first chorus curated a buzz for more riffs and energy which was followed up by with tracks like ‘Busy’, ‘The Fever’ and ‘Mirrors’.
Frontman Nathan Hardy took time at the end of the set to thank the fans for their time and the bands on the tour and used some time to hype up the crowd even more for the headliners Tiny Moving Parts. The band finished with ‘Vomit’ which was a perfect end to an enjoyable set from the Americans, showcasing their ability to fight subtlety with ferocity.
Microwave showed that they are a force to be reckoned with in the punk scene. They served as the perfect fitted support for a band like Tiny Moving Parts and were able to use the tour as a good way of showcasing material from their new album and picking up new fans along the way. Their natural ability to draw in a decent sized crowd and create unrivaled energy in the pit suggests that the band are capable of creating chaos at their own headline shows here in the UK.
You can listen to Microwave’s newest single ‘Mirrors’ below.
