The American stopped off in Bristol with support act Shit Present.

The American singer and songwriter Jeff Rosenstock has been entertaining audiences since forming his first band The Arrogant Sons of Bitches nearly thirty years ago. On Sunday night, his chaotic and dynamic punk energy reverberated around the Marble Factory in Bristol as part of a nationwide tour to promote his recently released ninth studio album, Hellmode. Supporting Rosenstock were the indie-punk rock band Shit Present from the South-West of England, who released their debut album What Still Gets Me in May last year.

Shit Present emerged on stage to a warm reception, the audience growing more enthusiastic throughout their set. There was a refreshing authenticity to their songs, which were performed with energy, emotion and conviction by a band who clearly enjoyed being together on a stage and connecting with their audience. Judging by the reaction to songs like Fuck It, Beyond Tonight, Voice in Your Head, Iona Cairns’ emotive and intensely personal lyrics already resonated with several members of the audience, while Thom Weeks’ catchy, sometimes melodic, sometimes abrasive, lead guitar, underpinned by tight bass and drums, can only have impressed newcomers to their music. Definitely a band to see whenever the opportunity arises.

The performance of Jeff Rosenstock and his band certainly lived up to the audience’s expectations and can be summed up in three words: energy, energy and energy. The pace was relentless from their opening cover of System of a Down’s Chop Suey! to the electrifying encore of We Begged 2 Explode. Comprising of an impressive 26 songs, the set included all eleven tracks from Hellmode. For many fans present at the Marble Factory on Sunday night, this was their first opportunity to see and hear fantastic songs from the album, such as Doubt, Healmode and Liked U Better performed live. 

Several audience favourites from Rosenstock’s previous albums were interspersed with tracks from Hellmode. Standout highlights included performances of Leave It in the Ska (Ska Dream), Nausea (We Cool?), and State Line (No Dream), which demonstrated the full range of Rosenstock’s versatility as a songwriter and musician. Throughout the evening, Rosenstock, ably supported by his band members, John DeDomenici (bass), Kevin Higuchi (drums), Mike Huguenor (lead guitar), and Dan Potthast (guitar, keyboard), displayed a remarkable ability to energise an audience, ensuring that this gig was something extraordinary.

See Jeff Rosenstock live:

All photos by Oliver Riddoch.