Live Review: Anti-Flag + Bouncing Souls – The Engine Rooms, Southampton

The last time Anti-Flag landed in the UK the Prime Minister resigned the very same day so maybe Punk was in the air as they prepared to perform in Southampton’s Engine Rooms. Accompanied by Buds and the Bouncing Souls, the night promised to be jam-packed with political views and anarchy. Here’s what went down!

Opening proceedings were Hampshire-based rockers Buds. They took to the stage early and delivered a short yet sweet set full of attitude and energy. Despite the early start for the band, the venue was pretty well packed as the fans in attendance seemed to grow to the band’s more modern sound quickly with people dancing around to the groovy beats being laid down by the band. Tracks such as ‘Bigger Fish’ and ‘Building Blocks’ were highlights of their set and the crowd seemed to eat these ones up without any complaints!

Following them were East Coast Punks The Bouncing Souls who wasted little time getting into the thick of things. Nothing quite beats some punk rock on a sunny summer’s evening so the fans in attendance were in for a treat. Despite the temperature soaring, the pits were going and everyone in the room was jumping to the band’s bouncy and infectious beats. High energy mixed with a message of rebellion was the order for the day and it hit home with the Southampton punks.

Anti-Flag were next to take to the stage and to say the place exploded when they did would have been an understatement. The level of excitement surrounding the show was immense and it all boiled down to this one moment. Opening their set with ‘The Press Corpse’ before diving straight into ‘Die For The Government’ showed that the band was here to cause chaos and chaos is exactly what ensued.

Circle pits, chugging pints and singing in unison are permanent moments of the night as a room full of strangers become family during a set of rebellion. New tracks such as ‘Laugh, Cry, Smile, Die’ went down just as well as the band’s most popular tracks like ‘Broken Bones’ and ‘This Is The End’. This was a night for fans to fight against the establishment they hated while feeling safe around other like-minded individuals and Anti-Flag made sure they spread the world of peace and love to the Southampton masses. One of the highlights of the night for me was ‘1 Trillion Dollar$’ as the entire room could be heard echoing the lyrics back to the band. Not to mention the explosive close to the set with a Punk medley consisting of ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’, ‘God Save The Queen’, ‘Rise Above’, ‘Fall Back Down’, ‘If The Kids Are United’, ‘She’, and ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’. Now that is one hell of a mashup!

The entire night was one that will be remembered as it showcased both the previous generation of Punk as well as the new. Upon leaving the venue, there wasn’t a single sad face as groups formed and new friendships were made. Music is a powerful thing given the right message and nights like these prove that.