Holding Absence Live At Ramsgate Music Hall

One of the UK rising stars plays one of their most intimate gigs ever.

Holding Absence are one of the biggest rising stars in the Post-hardcore scene right now. The band are on over a million monthly listeners on Spotify at the time of writing and their mega-hit 'Afterlife' has over 30 Million listens. It's safe to say to have this band at a venue like the Ramsgate Music Hall is a massive deal. The venue has a capacity of 140 people so this was going to be one of the band's most intimate gigs they have done in years and would be a rather special occasion for the fans who get to see the band up close and personal.

Before I go into the bands, I want to talk about the venue where the gig took place. The Ramsgate Music Hall looks like another house on the road but don't let that fool you. This venue is perfectly set up for anyone who wants to visit. There is an elevator for anyone in a wheelchair who wants to make their way up to the bar for some drinks, gender-neutral toilets means that everyone is accommodated, and the main hall has a small but great place to have bands play with its great sound. There are signs around the venue requesting fans to go to the upstairs bar if they want a chat while bands are on. It is annoying when a band or artist plays an acoustic or a slow song and there are some people chatting and laughing away in the background as it can kill any sort of immersion, so it's great that they have a space where people can go while encouraging people to have their focus on the show. You don't even need to worry about missing the show if you do want to go to the bar and have a chat as there is a projector opposite the bar which shows you what's going on so you don't miss a thing. One of the best ideas I've seen from an independent venue. This place is one of the best venues that I have ever been to and it's great to see that Kent has another fantastic space for live music.

One of the best things about this tour is that not only Holding Absence made sure that they played at some grassroots venues, but They also made sure that local bands got a chance to perform as well. The band for that night's show was KENNELS, a four-piece alt-pop band who I was really impressed by their sound which was a mix between the dreamy indie pop of bands such as The 1975 and early Pale Waves and alternative rock bands such as You Me At Six and Waterparks. The band have some seriously catchy songs such as 'Static' and '11Eleven' which will have you singing the song over and over with their catchy lyrics and their guitar work and drumming is excellent. The band seem to be nervous at the start but by the end of the set, the band were joking with each other and enjoying their time which gave their set a carefree feel. I hope to see this band again as I thoroughly enjoyed their set, and they were very nice to chat with after the gig as well.

The next band we had was a band all the way from Australia that had joined Holding Absence on this tour. Void of Vision where a much heavier band the KENNELS, going for more of the metalcore sound similar to the likes of Northlane and Architects. We started watching their set on the projector at the bar upstairs where we could see the crowd bouncing along to their heavy rifts. It much of be infectious as me and my mate ditched the bar and made out way downstairs to check them out. I was so impressed due to the fact I had never heard of this band before and I found myself gleefully jumping along and enjoying what the band had to offer. It takes a great band to get a whole room moving and it has to be said the Void of Vision was certainly that band. Vocalist Jack Bergin acts as the perfect leader for the band, getting the crowd hyped up on every song and making sure nobody was standing still throughout their set. An excellent warm-up for the main band of the evening and another great band that I would certainly be interested in seeing again.

We finally got to the main act of the night which everyone was crammed into this tiny hall to see. Holding Absence where greeted with cheers and applause as they came on stage and wasted no time in diving into their set. In terms of their setlist, die-hard fans will leave very happy with their setlist which started with 'Monochrome' off their first album. The rest of the set featured songs from their two albums as well as some early work which the lead singer Lucas Woodland hinted may be the final time they play some of these songs. With new music on the way, Unfortunately, bands at this point in their careers do have to give room for new songs on their setlist however it was fantastic to be able to get to see these songs such as 'Penance' which is what got the band off the ground and made them the band they are today. There were also the big tracks also on the setlist which would have given their fans everything they could have asked for.

As for the band performance, They gave their all for Ramsgate that night. Woodland's vocals were exceptional being able to sing and scream to the best of his abilities after having to cancel some shows due to losing his voice last year. There were no issues in Ramsgate thankfully which allowed Lucas to really go for it vocally which sounded amazing. His ability to sing soft melodies one moment and then to let out screams and hit high notes on songs such as 'Wilt' sent chills down my spine. He certainly has to be one of the best voices in the scene right now. The rest of the band is incredibly talented as well, with the drummer Ashley Green drumming on songs such as 'Aching Longing' showing off his incredible ability behind the drum set as well as Guitarist Scott Carey and Bassist Benjamin Elliot providing the killer rifts and basslines which breathes life into this incredible band.

There were some great moments throughout the gig, such as Woodland walking into the crowd and joining the crowd in singing 'Afterlife' in unison and the mosh pits for 'Aching Longing' in which Jack Bergin joined on vocals and started crowd surfing. Unfortunately, a fan was hurt in the middle of all of this and had to leave the hall for a bit, but Woodland would follow to make sure they were okay while the rest of the band assured fans that everything was ok. This was a great example of what nice gents these guys are which is a rarity in music. Their set ended beautifully with 'Wilt' which has the whole crowd singing once again with some people on getting others' shoulders in this tiny room. Must be one of the most spine-tingling moments I've witnessed in live music.

This gig was simply an extraordinary night for many reasons. To get to see a band of Holding Absences stature play in a venue like this is very special and it was a pleasure being part of it. It was also amazing to discover some new bands as well as discover a brilliant grassroots venue which is close to me. In conclusion, great bands, a great venue and a great night. You can't really beat it.