It's a Christmas cracker! Wrexham pop-punk heroes Neck Deep celebrate 10 years of Life’s Not Out To Get You in true party fashion.
“What a beautiful occasion this is tonight,” Ben Barlow bellows, his voice barely cutting through the roar inside a rammed Brixton Academy. Neck Deep are only minutes into their set, but already this feels less like a gig and more like a full-blown staff pop-punk Christmas party.
Tonight is about celebrating 10 years of Life’s Not Out To Get You, and judging by the sweat, the screams, and the confetti already coating the floor, London knows exactly how big an occasion this is.
U.S. emo upstarts Anxious kick off proceedings, bringing raw nerves and shout-along catharsis. Their scrappy, heartfelt delivery clicks instantly with the younger faces pressed against the barrier, and by the time they wrap up, Brixton Academy is primed and ready for chaos.
Boston Manor get people moving along nicely, wasting absolutely no time inciting crowd surfers and pits. “This is our last show for a good fucking while,” Henry Cox tells the crowd. “It’s going to be a minute until you see Boston Manor play.” If this really is goodbye-for-now, they’re determined to go out swinging. Halo hits hard, with the singer demanding, “Give me one million crowd surfers over the barriers right now,” and Brixton obliges in messy, flying fashion. Later, Passenger lands with weight and urgency, the Blackpool lads flexing their muscles as if auditioning to one day be the bride at this venue.
Chaos duly arrives with Neck Deep, with confetti cannons exploding during the opening moments of Citizens Of Earth. From there, Life’s Not Out To Get You lands in full, front to back, and every song still hits with laser precision, a look back but no mere nostalgia run.
“I really don’t think there’s another record like it,” Barlow admits. “Not to big ourselves up, but if this music has ever helped you through a tough time, then this is for you.” The response is deafening, with Threat Level Midnight and Gold Steps hitting harder than they did a decade ago. “Time to put you to the test, time to separate the real fans from the sham fans,” he announces, as deep cuts like The Beach Is For Lovers are met with mass sing-alongs, treated like certified bangers.
Can’t Kick Up The Roots is dedicated to “those small-town heroes,” while the aptly named December sees out the album celebration with pure frenetic energy. But they’re not done. “Let’s keep this shit moving,” Ben shouts, as a giant ‘generic pop-punk' banner drops from the ceiling, more confetti cannons fire, and the band tear into a hits blitz. Motion Sickness and What Did You Expect? inflate the party vibes further, with the singer abandoning the stage entirely, crowd-surfing over a sea of outstretched hands while still gripping the mic.
As the night sharpens its edge, Ben fires up the crowd once more. “The enemy isn’t arriving in small boats, they’re arriving in private jets,” he says, before Neck Deep erupt into a fired-up rendition of We Need More Bricks, injecting righteous fury into the celebration.
They end the main set with the explosive STFU, before returning to finish the night with their pop-punk anthem In Bloom. Ten years on, Life’s Not Out To Get You hasn’t aged a day. Neck Deep aren’t just celebrating a classic; they’re proving their hearts are still beating loud as hell.
