Fort Hope - Show us what they are made of!

January 29th 2014

Oxford, o2 Academy 2, UK

****
The passion is still alive, and there is hope of a brand new future!

Fort Hope **** are a band that really appeal to me on CD, it is the kind of music I like to listen to on the way home after a heavy night. Also the fact that three of the four members used to be in My Passion is an added bonus. Fort Hope is no My Passion though they are a totally new band with a totally different sound, the appeal does cross over with what they did before, but really they are heading in a new direction. The new sound a vision is a step forward and is far more grown up than what the three of them did before, sometimes you have to evolve to progress in the music industry.

I have always liked the vocal styling of Jonathan Gaskin and thought his vocal talents were not always used to the best potential when recording material and playing live with the band. He has a very distinctive sound and his vocal range is growing from show to show now he has stood up to the plate with Fort Hope.The band have not played a lot of shows only doing short tours with the likes of Fearless Vampire Killers and Never shout Never, which saw them create a fan base of their own.

Tonight they are playing one of the last shows on their co-headline tour with Max Raptor and they are ready to show what they are made of playing first out of the two main bands. Fort Hope start the show off slowly with melodies that are really beautiful but do not really grip you straight away, but they are a band that like to build you up slowly like they a constructing a fort and they have not got to the battlements yet.

First in Fort Hope's set is a new song 'I got Style' off their 'Choices' EP which they have been selling on their merchandise stand all tour. 'I'm on Fire' which you heard last year is great and is a song that everyone seems to know, while 'Control' lifts the set up in pace and leaves it open for the popular ground breaking 'Earthquake' that really shows what the band is all about and stands out in their set as a song you just cannot ignore, especially when Simon Rolands really kicks in with a groove on the bass while he jumps back and forth at the same time.

I really love when they get to the truly brilliant and heart felt 'Time is the Rope' (Which you can listen to on the bands website). This song really pulls at all the string and is a great love song, about dealing with problems in a relationship and how time will heal them. I just wish guitarist Andé D'Mello vocals were louder on this song because he is drowned out by the power of Jonathan's vocal range.

Finishing the set with 'Heritage' off their first EP which they bring on a fan called Mira to sing a duet with Jonathan who found a video of her on YouTube singing this song. She is really nervous about doing this and is shaking at times but when she does sing it sounds great and really works with Jonathan's vocals would love to hear a recorded version of this. If you like soft heart felt Emo / Post Rock / Post Punk bands then you cannot go wrong with Fort Hope and I think in time they will produce material that grows on you and makes you love the band.