LIVE FROM THE PIT: Driveways and Hell Hotel

What better way to start a warm bank holiday weekend than with the first of several Slam Dunk side shows, headlined by the wonderful DRIVEWAYS, with support from Brighton-based alt rock duo HELL HOTEL. Manchester welcomed the Boston-based 2000s-inspired pop-punk band to the Rebellion stage with open arms for their first time performing in the city, ahead of their weekend performance at Slam Dunk Festival.

HELL HOTEL were up first, with the dynamic duo Demi Jay Broadhead and Tom Maxfield taking to the stage, backed by their touring bassist and drummer. The stage was appropriately decorated with a carpet and various lamps illuminating the backdrop, already having created their own distinguishable, hotel-inspired, staging set-up combined with their signature red lighting. The band is still in its early days, but has already released several emo hits and continues to outdo itself with each release. The duo’s vocals perfectly complement each other, creating a sound that is fresh yet, at its core, all-out alt-rock/emo.

The addition of a touring bassist and drummer rounded off the group sonically, with a clear energy between the members creating a tight unit. The band definitely left a lasting impression on the audience, making just enough interaction with the crowd to let them know what each song was about, but letting the music do all the heavy lifting to draw everyone in. Songs like Am I Nothing Now., Promises. And Mirrors. gave the audience an insightful look into what they had to offer and what could be on the horizon for the band. Guitarist Tom Maxfield ended their set by playing in the middle of the pit, which got many cheers and applause from the audience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zonwyc5KhqQ

Needing little introduction before starting their set, DRIVEWAYS bounded onto the stage and opened with Motions and Skulls and Flowers, bringing high energy to get everyone going. The audience had definitely been preserving their energy for this set, forming a pit from the get-go and the occasional stage diver throughout the entire set. The setlist consisted of a mix of songs from across their discography, including throwbacks to There For a Reason, the opening track of the 2018 release Night Terrors, alongside some newer tracks like Tempest and Ghost of a Smile.

Frontman Pat Finnegan made sure to interact with the audience between each song, ranging from heartfelt gratitude to the crowd for coming to their warm-up show, to joking that he isn’t sure whether the audience likes Manchester City or Manchester United, declaring, ‘we like both’ to dispel any arguments between the crowd, along with asking, ‘Can I call you Manny?. There was a clear chemistry among all the members, with Derek Serino on bass and Ryan Passariello on drums providing backup vocals/screams, and this energy translated into the crowd too. It felt like being transported back to the 2000s and listening to a small basement show with all of your friends, the entire set was pure anthemic pop-punk sing-alongs, the audience yelling back every lyric to the band.

DRIVEWAYS made the most of the time they had on stage, wasting no time on an encore, ensuring the set was packed full of all of the songs everyone was looking forward to hearing. To round off the set, we were treated to the definite fan favourite of the night, October Forever, which got every last person shouting the lyrics nearly as loud as the frontman himself, alongside a final round of crowdsurfers. The band received a warm welcome from Manchester ahead of their performance at Slam Dunk, and they even stayed around after their set to talk to fans and take photos with them.

Words and photos: Libby Percival