Live Review: The Hope Conspiracy- New Cross Inn, London 12/10/2024
It’s been a long time coming. Twenty years, in fact – since The Hope Conspiracy last graced the music scene. Not to make you feel old, but that was 2004. A far cry from where we are now in today’s music scene: 2004 had the explosion of American Idiot, which Green Day are also celebrating this year, the first disbanding of The Libertines, and the formation of Bring Me the Horizon and Architects. Now it’s a different scene – all of those bands are still going, and The Hope Conspiracy are back, returning with a new album to a sold-out crowd in a small venue – so small that it doesn’t even have a barricade. The New Cross Inn in, well, New Cross – is conveniently located right between two Overground lines and opposite a techno/rave pub/record/store club. It’s the perfect hangout for us to see The Hope Conspiracy perform on stage to tons of adoring fans, including one who saw them in Cologne the night before.
Still in Love, local band performing in their hometown, brought to the stage with – much like second support act, Geist, a rallying cry for mental health and the need to connect in a post COVID era. What was just as notable about this gig was that it was something of an ending as well, in addition to being a reunion show – Geist’s allegedly last live set featured a song that hadn’t even been given a title; originally intended to be the band’s swan song but they weren’t able to make it quite that far. It’s a shame – the North East band have had almost ten years since their first run of shows, putting out a statement saying that there’s no bad blood between them but they’re just choosing personal priorities over music. Yet to witness them on stage perform their own eulogy is to witness a band in its prime – a natural end to a titanic band that have been operating for a decade. Playing many songs from last year’s album, Blueprints to Moderate Sedation. Hope Conspiracy frontman Kevin Baker is optimistic that it won’t be the last time we see them – mocking them for quitting when they themselves, have only went on hiatus.
The lack of a barrier at New Cross Inn makes for a unique set and a unique mosh pit, which I couldn’t resist the chance to get involved in – people were throwing themselves off the stage into a crowd-surf in a supporting environment that never once felt dangerous, as angry, raw and ferocious as Baker’s voice got. Every chance he stopped for a breather the crowd begged him to play the songs, but he refused to give in – giving the crowd as much a rest as them. Celebrating free thought and free speech in an age of misinformation was a rebellious fight against the system that also saw the set interrupted by a punter who ran across the stage middle – to even Baker’s confusion, not risking the packed New Cross Inn. It was something of an insane atmosphere to be had with this older crowd, many of whom at been around since the band’s first run – and they delivered with one of the most exciting reunion shows of the year, playing a mixture of their music both old and new.
Those Who Gave Us Yesterday opens with a call to the past – the opening track off their new comeback release Tools of Oppression/Rule by Deception, introducing their set with a warning sign heralding their arrival like the sirens of the London Blitz. “No virtue, no mercy,” Baker promises – and we’re off – not a bad way to spend a Saturday evening. The Boston band are cocky enough to describe themselves as “legendary” and it’s easy to see why – any fan watching them for the first time will be instantly converted. Their 2000 album Cold Blue and their follow up Death Knows Your Name are two hard acts to follow, yet within seconds, you know they haven’t lost any of their energy. From there we’re into The Prophets and Doom, and we get an effortless fusion of their older and newer releases as though the band have never stopped touring all these years later.
Dropping Confusion/Chaos/Misery without warning as a return midway through the set following on from Deadtown Nothing, fan favourite, released all the way back in 2006 – it was hard not to get swept up in the charm and variety of the consistently hardcore setlist that fired on all cylinders. “Dead town nothing, just an empty shell, Dead town nothing… just a bullet in your mouth” – we didn’t really deserve their return and announcing it with Those Who Gave Us Yesterday really shows of a band whose best years may be ahead of them.
Other standouts include Shock by Shock – straight into A Struggle for Power, it was a real treat getting to see Tools of Oppression/Rule by Deception played much in full. The record was sold out before the show even started – much to the mercy of my wallet, as I would’ve surely brought a copy otherwise. Only a few tracks from the album didn’t make it into the set-list, The West is Dead, perhaps missing out, but a legacy band like The Hope Conspiracy needs to find room for the older music too. Jonas Feinberg, Neeraj Kane and Jared Shavelson deliver the goods – Shavelson returning from None More Black and Baker returning from Bars.
Perhaps it’s a sign of the times that we’re now calling bands pumping out music in 2006 “legacy bands” – but that’s very much what these guys are, kings of the hardcore scene. Vocalist Kevin Baker leads the way with passion – in London for the first time since 2010, delivering with justice what miserable energy looks like on stage in such a crowd-pleasing way calling their music full of doom and gloom like an oxymoron. Hopefully we see them back very soon and on a bigger stage – they’ve been very much a missed band full of the weight of expectation that comes of their ferocious live shows that never fails to disappoint.
Words by Miles Milton-Jefferies
