Emarosa @ Joiners, Southampton

Outside one of Southampton’s best little venues, The ‘Joiners’ Arms, are typed notices declaring that this show has (long been) SOLD OUT, and scores of people enjoying the late afternoon sunshine before the doors open. The Emarosa tour has come to town and the show’s been highly anticipated for a while, partly due to the fact that there are only a few shows in the south of the UK. This has prompted people to travel down from all over, including a familiar face in the shape of You Me At Six guitarist Max who’s come down for jaunts with old tour buddies.

Deaf Havana have recently lost their screamer Ryan, and having only so far played a handful of shows without him, we’re a tad unsure of how they will go down. Vocalist James, has thrown himself into the role of front man with ease though it appears, and soon has the audience convinced that they’ve always sounded like this. Slightly adapted vocal lines and a rockier overall vibe lends well to their already familiar sound. Old fans are loving the transition, and for anyone else not in the know this could well be the norm. We’re treated to a brand new, yet unnamed, song which sounds like it could well be a contender to catchy summer anthem ‘Friends Like These’ and finishing on said infectious tune the newly formed four piece leave the stage to huge applause having pulled off a triumphant solid set.

Kentucky post-hardcore rockers Emarosa greet a hot and sweaty room and just smash straight into it. Vocalist Jonny Craig is on a mission to mess up the place it would appear, and as the kids at the front are crashing around and throwing appendages within the opening bars it looks like he may well succeed. Pacing around the stage and leaning over the crowd, mic dangled into grabbing hands or arms outstretched, may be generic post-hardcore front man behaviour, but it’s done with such finesse and conviction that it’s hard to deny him the right. Songs from 2008 release ‘Relativity’ make up the most part of their set with ‘Set It Off Like Napalm’ and ‘What’s a Clock Without The Batteries’ going down well with the fans, as does ‘The Past Should Stay Dead’, which inspires the kids at the front to go truly ballistic. Having toured recently in the US with them it does seem only right that Jonny pulls local metalcore heroes Bury Tomorrow’s screamer Dani up onto the stage for a huge encore of ‘Casablanca’. The perfect way to end a romping show! Add him to the list Wikipedia and in the meantime we’ll be waiting in anticipation for their return to promote the new record.

8/10

Words and photos: Marianne Harris

Tags: Deaf Havana, Emarosa, joiners