Invited| Review by Samantha Pearson
Digital Newcastle played host to EmoFest on Friday, the greatest tribute night to the music that was never just a phase after being upgraded from its original venue Riverside due to sheer demand.
This was a night to relive all of the favourite tunes of the pop-punk, nu-metal and emo era… think back to the mid/late 2000s, when Kerrang and Scuzz musical channels were in their prime, covering the likes of Paramore, My Chemical Romance and Blink-182.
When we arrived to the sell out event, a queue of emo’s young and sold swarmed the nightclub, sporting their best black Disturbia get up, Demoniacult boots and of course, the back combed hair! Prior to the band who was set to play for the night, we were welcomed by a DJ setting the vibe for the night playing the likes of Metro Station, 3OH3! And so many more!
The venue was packed full of emo fans, all waiting to relive and reminisce the songs we all used to (and still do) love. The only complaint I had on this part was the amount of bar staff for the amount of people attending, we stood for quite a while waiting, taking us away from the atmosphere of the room for a little while.
The band hit the stage at about 7:15pm, instantly captivating fans with songs from the likes of Thirty Seconds to Mars, You Me at Six and Fall Out Boy. The night went on with all the Emo songs you remember from your years past that you could think of. Every fan in the audience singing word for word along with the band and participating wherever they could.
The whole night consisted of a fantastic live band, bringing the emo phase back to life, as though it never went away! Gig memorabilia such as T-Shirts and hoodies were chucked into the crowd as well as confetti showers and balloon drops, a really well put together event and it’s no surprise that this is almost a sell out at every venue they perform at.
Presenting the night with a live band helped bring a different element as opposed to a typical DJ led event playing the music. We felt immersed. We felt everyone of those guitar riffs and the emotion in the singers voices. The venue usually hosts DJ’s so to have a live music event brought a new dimension to Digital and I’d definitely love to see more live gigs here.
As a whole, the event is an amazing way of bringing together emos young and old to enjoy a night of nostalgic music that absolutely ‘was not just a phase’. It proves that emo music will always live on and be one of the most powerful and dominant eras that defined a lot of peoples lives at that time and moulded them to what they are now.
EmoFest continues to tour the U.K. and although many dates, there are still some dates available. They return back to the North East in May 2025 to Middlesbrough. So if you want to sing your little heart out to Numb, Save it For The Bedroom or Sugar, We’re Goin Down… then you know what you need to do!