Dance Gavin Dance, As December Falls & Dwellings, The Prospect Building, Bristol, UK 09.09.26
Tonight I’m off to Bristol, not only to get my first taste of The Prospect Building, but to see Dance Gavin Dance on the UK leg of their European tour, supported by As December Falls and Dwellings.
I’ve arrived early to get my bearings, as I haven’t been to The Prospect Building before and wanted to check it out. The outside area has some great chill-out spaces, plenty of food wagons and a huge bar to relax in before, during and after the gigs. Inside, it’s essentially an old plastics warehouse that has been converted into a live venue, and they use the space well. So, let’s get inside and check out our first band of the night.
Not quite at full capacity yet, Californian Dwellings (7) natives take to the stage to big cheers from those who arrived early to check them out. From song one, we get pure talent. No matter what influence you hear in each song, there is something interesting going on, from the emo yet soulful vocals of Isaac Wilson to the post-hardcore drumming of Thomas Reilly.
Being my first time seeing Dwellings, I’m immediately struck by the number of different grooves the band manages to work into their songs. Isaac takes time between songs to thank Bristol, saying, “The best place so far in the UK, as it’s our first time here.” Not that the crowd needs any more encouragement, as they’re already singing along and happily bouncing away.
A standout song for me is actually the first song the band released back in 2016, Lemonade. It’s filled with dreamy vocals and that great post-hardcore guitar sound, with plenty of atmospheric detail. By this point, both the band and crowd seem to be locked into a kind of slow-motion mosh.
The band have a great way of taking you down with almost R&B-inspired beats before suddenly changing structure and launching into math-rock madness. It’s a great start to the night, and I really enjoyed my first time seeing Dwellings.
Drinks and a little breather later, we’re back inside to catch the next band of the night, As December Falls (7). Unlike the other bands tonight, they’re from Nottingham, so they’ve played Bristol a few times since forming in 2014 and know what to expect from a Bristol crowd on a Friday night.
The band walk onto the stage with beaming smiles and get straight into things with big energy from note one. It would be a crime to simply describe this as a pop-punk band, as you can hear so much coming through in every song. There are nice touches of pure rock riffing, alongside great melodies from vocalist Bethany Hunter.
Hunter has a very strong and powerful voice that could easily match Hayley Williams for range and dynamics. Everyone here seems to bounce along to every song coming from the stage for the next 45 minutes.
A standout song for me is the track the band created for the video game Muse Dash. It has lots of nods to old-school video-game sound effects, but it’s also a great driving song that gets your feet moving and your head moshing. Chunky guitars and really good electronic-infused samples run throughout, while the band still manages to keep its pop-punk sound going right up to the final note.
The band have really good chemistry on stage and feed off each other extremely well. Another good set from a band I haven’t seen before, but would happily see again.
Time for tonight’s headliners.
I started listening to Dance Gavin Dance late, during the great toilet-paper shortage of 2020, but since then I’ve grown to really enjoy putting any of the band’s albums on while I’m doing things. There’s such variety and pleasure to be found in their music that I never quite know what I’m going to get when I press play.
By the time Dance Gavin Dance (8) walk onto the stage, The Prospect Building is absolutely packed. The crowd goes wild, and they go even more crazy when we kick into the first song, Animal Surgery, from the band’s latest album, Pantheon.
The band go back and forth throughout the night between older material and the new songs from Pantheon, which provides a very nice balance for both old and new fans alike. At the end of the first song, vocalists Andrew Wells and Jon Mess demand, “Let’s open up the pit!” The crowd happily obliges.
We go all the way back to 2007 with Lemon Meringue Tie from the band’s album Downtown Battle Mountain, and it sends everyone here crazy. Beforehand, Andrew tells everyone that he has had permission from security for crowd surfing. Before he’s even finished his sentence, I think we already have someone on their way down to the front as the band launches into the song.
The immense sound of DGD live certainly confirms to me why I like this band. I love the sudden changes of pace in their unique post-hardcore sound. We get progressive guitars that blend softer touches with all-out fast chugs, alongside drums that will have your head confused about what mosh pace you’re supposed to settle on. It’s all sprinkled with evil screams and powerful, strong melodic vocals.
A standout song for me is Speed Demon, released as a single in 2024. The melodies are pure bliss, with strong solo playing from guitarist and founding member Will Swan, before the song kicks into a heavy ending that keeps everyone jumping straight into the next song.
The band eventually bring the night’s set in Bristol to a close with another track from Pantheon, the crazy All The Way Down. Then, for the final song, we get the last track from the band’s 2018 album Artificial Selection, Evaporate.
Dance Gavin Dance have taken this crowd to the limits tonight with their brutal yet soulful mix of progressive post-hardcore, proving exactly why the Sacramento natives are one of the very best progressive post-hardcore acts around — and have been for a long time.
A very strong night from all three bands, with each bringing something different to The Prospect Building. Dwellings provide the technical and atmospheric opening, As December Falls bring huge energy and infectious melodies, and Dance Gavin Dance finish the night by completely tearing the roof off the place.
Three very different takes on modern alternative and post-hardcore, but a combination that works extremely well on one bill. For a first visit to The Prospect Building, Bristol certainly delivered.
