A month or so ago, a very good friend of mine reached out to say his band was headlining a new(ish) venue in High Wycombe. Didn’t take any convincing, and so there I was at the Metal Showcase at Wycombe Arts Centre. The last time I was in the area was at the Phoenix Festival at the now defunct Phoenix. Extremely sad times with still so many grassroots venues closing around the UK.
Wycombe Arts Centre has come as a lifeline though with help from local hero Harry Weathers who runs events company mortalmedia.uk. He’s been championing the local music scene, more so since The Phoenix descended. So here I am ready to witness the first of 4 bands;
This 4-piece from Oxford took the stage with a fresh aura of confidence. I later spoke to Josh (vocalist) who informed me this was their second show – the first being in Swindon. You wouldn’t think it as they ploughed competently through their set. The songs were consistently strong and swaggered with pop-infused metal. They definitely had a heavy pop-punk flavour. Makes sense when Josh tells me his influences include All Time Low and State Champs, to name but a few. I’ll be keeping an eye on the lads for sure.
This leads on to 3-piece, Glass Shards who are a sprightly group of music students at the local university. What struck me about their sound was they channeled some very grunge/punk energy. They reminded me in places of early Silverchair. To those who may not have heard anything by them yet, a description of “grunge-rock” would do nicely. Speaking to Will (vocals and bass) and Jamie (guitar) revealed their plans to release a full record in early 2026. They definitely have a lot of potential.
Halloranhc took the stage next (minus 1 member – bassist was unable to make the show), hailing from Reading, UK with the energy of a raging bull. The guys absolutely know how to put on a show and command energy from the crowd. Their set included notably heavier sounds of the evening thus far, but even they leaned comfortably into post-punk and emo territory at times. All without the trappings of some of the more soppy attributes of those genres. They kept the energy up throughout the entire set. The band exuded confidence and got the crowd sufficiently excited for our headliners…
Five-piece British post-hardcore titans Halfway Home take the stage and instantly transform the aura to one of excitement and simultaneous anxiety. By no means was the latter a negative; in reality their atmospheric opener Solstice served as a suitable palate cleanser and set the scene as the darkness leads to light and they launch into Leeches. I was so excited to see them perform a headline set because it meant I could hear some real deep cuts played live, like Memoirs and History.
The band artfully weaved through their set with some beautifully constructed interludes. Each song was expertly brought to life and the energy waxed and waned at appropriate moments throughout the set. These guys truly feel what they are playing, and this was painfully evident as we reached the 3rd quarter of the set. The band strips back to just Luke, Kat and Addy who treat us to an acoustic version of Denbigh Road. At this point we were collectively somber, but the mood shifted yet again as they sidestepped into The Bell Jar.
A masterfully placed song that extended the emotions of the previous song by culminating in a rousing acapella chorus. Things take another turn here into heavier territory, ending with Ego Death. The song means a lot to the band themselves, and Addy noticeably breaks down as it ends. The crowd did an amazing job of expending their love and good vibes to the band; giving them one last push to end with The Edge.
Everything from the stage backdrop to the reactive lighting helped propel the headliner’s set to legendary status. The experiences of the past 2 years have clearly moulded the band and honed their abilities to channel their music.
Thank you to the venue, promoters and the bands.
Some shows are live, some pre-recorded. All times are GMT
