I first saw Kids In Glass Houses on 6/02/10, a couple of days after 'Matters At All,' the second single to come from their second album 'Dirt,' was released. They were supporting Lostprophets at Hull City Hall and I distinctly remember how good they were live; after a truly terrible opening from first support band Hexes it's perhaps no wonder that I remember it so well, but to engage and capture the less-than-impressed audience the way that KIGH did is no easy feat, yet they managed it effortlessly. I've been a firm fan ever since and so you can imagine that I jumped at the chance to see them again, over 3 years later, this time headlining a show in York.
Much like the first time I saw them, the supporting bands were polar opposites. First up were Summer City, who at first seemed pretty good, though I had to question my initial judgement when they engaged with the crowd gathered before them. Their on-stage personalities are similar to that of a certain YouTube "vlogger" worshipped by millions of fangirls worldwide, and not in a good sense - I was regrettably left trying to control my laughter rather than being able to listen to their music, which really wasn't too bad. It's just a shame that their songs are undermined and let-down by their cringey on-stage mannerisms. On a high note however, Summer City do have guts; they made an extremely brave choice to cover Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Call Me Maybe,' which they pulled off as well as any band covering one of the most annoying songs in the world could do.
Following Summer City were Verses, a rock band hailing from Brighton. I can't even begin to describe how glad I am that Verses were chosen to support KIGH because they are truly an amazing band! And after buying their CD 'Come To Life' at the show, I can confirm that they're one of the few bands that sound just as good live as they do on their CDs. Even if I really like a support band at a gig, it's not very often that I'll go and check them out after the show, but Verses are quickly becoming one of my favourite bands to listen to at the moment. I genuinely can't recommend them enough, and I really hope that they grow even bigger.
Though Verses did have some fans in the crowd, the majority were obviously waiting on Kids In Glass Houses making an appearance. After the show was rescheduled from May 30th to July 29th, the excitement was even more so, so when KIGH first came on, opening with 'Artbreaker I' and rocketing straight into 'Youngblood (Let It Out),' the atmosphere was incredible. The setlist spanned songs from 'Smart Casual,' 'Dirt' and the upcoming album (due to be released September 30th and can be pre-ordered here) 'Peace,' although there was a notable lack of songs from third album 'In Gold Blood.' I feel as though the setlist could have been a little stronger, and admittedly I was a bit disappointed at the lack of songs such as 'Hunt The Haunted' and 'Black Crush,' but this was made up for by a performance of 'Drive;' the first single to come from the new album, I've been hooked on it ever since its release. 'Drive' is undoubtedly one of the best songs I've heard live by any band, and I think it's going to become a firm fixture in the setlist of future KIGH shows. It unites the crowd; not one body in that room wasn't dancing and singing along at the top of their lungs. Kids In Glass Houses seem to be fluent in writing songs that unite their fans, a talent shown by 'Saturday' and the song they closed with, 'Matters At All.' Their set, albeit less than an hour long, just confirmed my beliefs that Kids In Glass Houses are one of the strongest best live bands I've ever seen and I really hope I get to see them several more times throughout my life.
Most fans of rock music will agree that the majority of classic Christmas songs are aged and cheesy and overplayed, and it’s hard to escape them. So this is my playlist of some of my favourite Christmas songs, either created or covered by some of the best in rock music…
1. LostAlone – I Want Christmas Always
‘I Want Christmas Always’ is potentially one of the most perfect Christmas songs ever, everything about it screams festive spirit. LostAlone’s take on Christmas combines rock music and catchy riffs with signature elements of a classic Christmas song – including ‘ding-dongs’ and jingling bells – to create a song that is up there with the best. It always leaves me with a smile on my face and feeling super festive.
2. blink-182
Where to start with blink-182? They’ve made three great Christmas songs, all of them with the signature blink-182 sound. The lyrics in both ‘I Won’t Be Home For Christmas’ and ‘Happy Holidays, You Bastard’ are probably the most anti-Christmas lyrics possible for a Christmas song, yet I still always listen to them around this time of year to get me in the festive spirit. The band recently unveiled a new song from their upcoming EP, ‘dogs eating dogs,’ called ‘Boxing Day’ – while it’s only standard blink-182, with a folksy spin on their sound, it’s still a pretty good song.
3. Fall Out Boy – Yule Shoot Your Eye Out
‘Yule Shoot Your Eye Out’ is a typical FOB masterpiece and manages to be un-Christmassy whilst still being a Christmas song, which I guess the title defines well. Opening with the sound of sleigh bells and ending with an electronic snippet of Christmas carol ‘Deck the Halls,’ the lyrics refer to Christmas in a completely un-festive way. Its acoustic sound makes a nice change from all the cheer from classic Christmas songs, and it’s Fall Out Boy, so of course it’s going to be an awesome song.
4. All Time Low – Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass
The pop-punk sound and cheeky lyrics of All Time Low are what really make this song; like the classic Christmas songs, it’s catchy and it’s funny, but ‘Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass’ sounds nothing like the classic Christmas songs, which makes it 10x better. I love this song and it always leaves me looking forward to the holiday.
5. The Killers
Like with blink-182, there’s not much I can say about The Killers’ Christmas songs – they speak for themselves. Every year the band come out with a new song specially for the season, and every year they are amazing.
6. No Doubt – Oi To The World
I’m a fan of anything No Doubt, but their ska twist on this song (originally by The Vandals) is brilliant and manages to be a Christmas song without sound even remotely Christmassy, except from the guitar which maintains the sound of a festive song throughout.
7. My Chemical Romance – All I Want For Christmas Is You
In the first 40 seconds of this song, the only way you’d be able to tell that this is a My Chemical Romance cover of the classic Mariah Carey song (an unlikely choice, I know) is Gerard Way’s distinctive vocals. The full band make themselves known eventually though and pull the song off so well; I especially love the raw edge they’ve put on what is otherwise the classic Christmas song I hate the most. Basically, MCR’s take on this song makes for one of the best Christmas covers of all time.
8. Kids In Glass Houses – Secret Santa
This is the final song on the list, and with good reason. I don’t think I can put into words how much I love this song, it’s just so amazing. As much as I love Kids In Glass Houses, I don’t think I expected anything this good when I heard about their Christmas song. It’s made me feel even more Christmassy than I already did, which I didn’t think was possible. I love the video that accompanies it too.
So that’s my list of some of the most awesome Christmas songs of all time, in no particular order because they’re all bound to leave you in the festive spirit and looking forward to Christmas. Less than two weeks to go now!
