Mallory Knox UK Tour - Birmingham

Mallory Knox UK Tour - Birmingham

So I honestly don't know where to start with this page, so figured why not talk about my life.

First stop - music.

So I've been a big fan of 'melodic punk' since I first came across Mallory Knox in Year 10 of secondary school. Honestly, back then I was still trying to figure out what kind of music I was even into, y'know it was one of those periods where you're just very confused so I was listening to all sorts of crap.

It was only when I came across a track called 'When are we waking up' from a band by the name of Mallory Knox that I realised this was a sound i actually rated highly. Following this, I started to explore their (at the time) latest released album, 'Asymmetry', and found other songs I loved such as 'Getaway', 'Shout at the Moon' and 'Ghost in the Mirror'.

For me, this really kicked off my interest in the genre and I went on to spend the next year creating a playlist that was everything I wanted it to be - the right level of punk, but not too heavy.

I only came across the term 'melodic punk' when I decided to look up some of my favourite bands' bios on Spotify. I had been asked multiple times what music I'm into and I didn't like to say punk because honestly there's a lot of punk I don't really like. So yeah, I discovered that my bands fell under the label of 'melodic punk', which to this day still sounds like a bit of a joke to me so I try not to bring it up too often.

Anyway, backstory over, we return to the present.

I've gradually fell out of love with punk and started to prefer rap and grime, so my old playlist fell into obscurity as I crafted a new one based on my new likes. It wasn't until a few months ago when I was looking on Instagram and saw Mallory promote their new tour - one of the dates of which was Birmingham.

I decided the opportunity couldn't be missed, so me and my mate copped tickets early doors and went to Mama Roux's on Tuesday night for what was my first ever gig.

I gotta say, it didn't disappoint.

The support acts were great, in particular the more mellow band named Judas who themselves have grown in popularity over the last few years. Their music is cool, and as we discovered later on in the night, they are sound blokes too. I'll come back to that.

Mallory themselves were awesome. New lead vocalist Sam Douglas did an incredible job of filling the void left by Mikey's departure, bringing his own sound to many songs I've grown up loving.

Mikey's departure clearly shook the group and their self-belief, as they repeatedly spoke out about the difficulties of the last year and how much they appreciate the fans support. Sam even went as far as to admit that he had suffered from heavy bouts of anxiety all day leading up to the gig, so was immensely grateful for the positive response to the new-look MK. As a band, they really made an effort to reach out and interact with the fans, which in a venue as cosy as Mama Roux's felt extra special.

I can't recommend this band enough, amazing guys who aren't too bad at making music either. They're great live and their merch is fire, I copped a wristband and my mate got himself one of the new tee's on offer.

Judas were also extremely down to earth, as we discovered when we bumped into them at local kebab shop Pitstop at 3am after a night out. The guys sat with us and told us all about their exploits at Reading and Leeds Festival and life on tour. Kind of surreal seeing them on stage and then in one of the grottiest (but most loveable) food joints in brum.

Mallory Knox may have lost their lead singer, but they've gained a new look, new style and new voice in the process which ultimately means that for all of us MK fans out there, it looks like we have many years to come to enjoy our favourite band. I might even dig out the old 'melodic punk' playlist for a nostalgic throwback.

Can't tell if this was pointless or not. Massively procrastinating from essay writing right now so probably was. Ah well.

Here's to you Mallory 🍻