The Get Up Kids
Camden Underworld, London
24/06/2010

The credibility of ‘emo’ as a genre has certainly been called into question of late – and rightly so; since its fairly recent transmogrification and commodification into the very antithesis of what it originally stood for. Whether The Get Up Kids were ever truly part of such an ill-defined and ever-changing genre – seriously, how else would Rites Of Spring, Saves The Day, Dashboard Confessional, My Chemical Romance all somehow and somewhat ridiculously be considered different strands of the same thing? – is an interesting question. They themselves recently apologised for helping to ‘create’ its current sorry strand, but they probably didn’t need to. Because, since reforming in 2008 after a three year hiatus, they’ve consistently proved – live and, with the re-release of their landmark ‘Something To Write Home About’ album and their recently issued EP of new material – that they are simply great songwriters, whatever label one wishes to attach to them.

Tonight, the second of two sold out intimate shows, demonstrates just why they deserve to rise above the trivialities and the stigma of ‘emo’, and instead be regarded as one of the most consistent, intelligent and, yes, emotive, bands of the last fifteen years. First, though, The Xcerts demonstrate just why they’re becoming one of the UK’s most talked about new bands. Choice cuts from their superb debut album, plus a rendition of current single ‘Slackerpop’, are performed with their usually high levels of zest, energy and confident self-belief, and provide the perfect warm-up for what’s to come.

There aren’t many bands who could outshine their stage presence, but it just goes to show what a tight machine The Get Up Kids have become. Beginning with ‘Holiday’, they journey through every aspect of their career, from the raw first album – ‘No Love’, ‘Don’t Hate Me’ – through to their underappreciated and more mellow third effort – a rare outing of the quite beautifully sad strum of ‘Overdue’ and a chilling version of ‘Walking On A Wire’ – right up to the four songs from their new EP. In between, there are covers, namely The Cure’s ‘Close To Me’ and The Replacements’ ‘Beer For Breakfast’, hugely entertaining stories about appearing on TV shows with Nickelback and, of course, a whole host of songs from ‘Something To Write Home About’. The crowd’s reaction seems at odds with their clear devotion, but the huge singalongs of ‘Mass Pike’ and ‘Action & Action’, not to mention the pit that develops during final song ‘Ten Minutes’ is unswerving proof of the visceral and impactful power of their music – whatever you want to call it.

Mischa Pearlman