Live Review: As It Is - Koko, London 16/03/2018

After cancelling their Cardiff show the night before, As It Is took over London’s Koko last Friday night with lead singer, Patty Walters, sporting a sling scribed with the words “its okay not to be okay”. This did not get in the way of giving an intense and exciting performance.

Joining As It Is on their UK tour were bands Grayscale, Like Pacific and WSTR. It seems that they did more than just warm the crowd up; it felt like watching a line-up for a festival with each band bringing their own unique energy to the stage. WSTR were the final support act before headliners, As It Is. Their punchy pop-punk tracks, such as the popular ‘Featherweight’, filled the venue with a great energy that kept everybody wanting more. Crowdsurfers and circle pits were plentiful throughout the set and they left the crowd humming with anticipation for the headline act.



Headliners, As It Is, did not disappoint. Patty Walters showed no signs of letting his arm, which is he currently waiting to have an operation on, stop him from giving an energetic show, even though he moved around less than he usually would. The rest of the band made their presence on stage well-known and seemed be loving the experience of playing at Koko with guitarist, Benjamin Biss, telling the fans about how he and his wife usually sit on the sofa at the top of the venue when watching gigs.

The Brighton pop rockers performed songs from their previous album, ‘Never Happy Ever After’, as well as from their new venture, ‘okay’. The crowd loved every track, with their screams illuminating Patty’s smile as soon as each track as announced. It was clear that the band have attracted a devout fanbase and we can understand the fan’s excitement when we remember that this is the first time in almost two years that As It Is have done a headline tour of the UK.

Wrapping the concert up with their catchy track, ‘Dialtones’, this show concludes the UK/EU ‘okay’ tour. This is not the last that the UK will see of the band this year, however, as they will be playing at Slam Dunk Festival at the end of May.



Photography and Words by Max Herridge