The Fallen State - Plymouth Review

Plymouth might not be a hotbed for live music these days, but living around a five minute walk from Mutley Plain means that a few good nights out a year are pretty much nailed on. The Junction is likely the city's best live music venue currently, despite its small size, and since moving to Plymouth in 2016 I have seen quite a few good bands there - including a handful whom were definitely too big to grace its stage in reality. As such, up-and-coming and younger bands often make use of the space - so last night I headed up to the venue to catch a young rock band who have started to make a bit a name for themselves over the past few years. Devon's The Fallen State have become one of my favourite newer hard rock acts. Despite initially thinking that they were a bit too wedded to that late 1990s post-grunge sound which permeates a lot of modern hard rock, I have grown to really like the band's albums and EPs - and I have seen them live a few times over the years. Prior to last night, it had been over a year since I had last seem them live - as I last caught them with Stone Broken last year in Exeter. I have seen the band opening for others a couple of times, but I have actually seen them on their own terms more times than by default. Being a Devon-based band, they often include Plymouth shows on their tours - and they always receive a strong reception in the city. I first saw the band headline in Plymouth back in 2017, and I also saw current frontman Adam Methven's first show fronting the band in 2021. The Fallen State have a decent history with Plymouth, then, so it was fitting that they decided to end their latest UK tour with a date back at The Junction. The band certainly have quite a strong following across the UK now, and seem to be able to attract healthy crowds wherever they go. As such, it is great that they keep coming back to Plymouth - as there are certainly some who would have stopped coming to the South West a long time ago if they were in a similar position to The Fallen State. The Plymouth crowd appreciate the commitment shown, though, and have generally turned out in decent numbers. Last night at The Junction was no different. Despite the horrific weather which likely kept some at home, the venue was pretty full throughout the evening. A few more bodies would have certainly been welcome, but the place was packed by those who are big fans of the band's work - so the atmosphere throughout the night was excellent. The tour seemed to have been a pretty big success in the lead up to the Plymouth show, too, so spirits were certainly high and it was clear that the crowd and the band were up for a great night.

Before The Fallen State took to the stage, though, the growing crowd were treated to decent sets from two support acts. Up first were Temples On Mars, a five-piece alternative metal/prog-esque group who stuck out quite a bit on a bill otherwise made up by more traditional hard rock acts - but they made their brief set count with a groove-heavy sound that mixed big riffing, which at times fell into the modern tech metal category, and somewhat grungy vocals. Quite a lot of the band's set was sung in harmony, which certainly recalled Alice in Chains in style if not in sound - but the biggest comparison I can draw vocally is actually Muse. There were certainly a strong Muse influence to be found in Temples On Mars' sound, albeit in more of a metal context rather than a rock one. I am not sure that I would call Temples On Mars a full-blown metal band, either, but there was quite a bit of heaviness in their sound - and plenty of groove thanks to the band's three guitarists and some tight double bass drumming. I am not sure that the live sound mix really allowed the band's intricacies to shine, though. One of the guitarists generally seemed to be playing discordant leads and strange alternatives to the big riffing, but his playing was a bit lost in the mix sadly, and it was only towards the end of the set that the bass had some prominence - which was a shame as the bass player seemed to be playing some really interesting melodies which, again, differed quite a bit from the main riffing. I think that I would have enjoyed the band's set more had the mix been a bit better, but it is not uncommon for opening bands to suffer somewhat in that regard. Despite this, though, I generally enjoyed what Temples On Mars had to offer. Their angular riffing and more alterative rock vibe overall certainly added some variety to the evening. They certainly got the evening off to a decent start and, despite a hesitant start, they managed to get a fairly warm reaction from the crowd towards the end, too.

Up next were Twister, a band who I was familiar with in name but not a lot else. Following Temples On Mars' heavier sound, Twister were more what I expected - with more of a classic rock approach and a hint of 1980s hair metal for good measure. In fact, Twister reminded me a lot of a number of bands whom I saw as support acts in the early 2010s when the Scandinavian hair metal revival was in full flow. As such, Twister seemed like a bit of a throwback to that time - but they sounded more classic rock-inspired overall, with more of a bluesy bent in the guitar department. Despite this, though, there were pop hooks aplenty throughout the band's set. There was a strong focus on vocal melodies throughout, with some decent harmonies, too, and the guitar playing moved back and forth between chunky, blues-based hard rock riffing and a more melodic, lead-based approach. It was also interesting to learn part-way through the set that the band's current line-up is very new - with the bass player having been in the band just over a month and the lead guitarist having been the bass player previously. Despite this upheaval, Twister were very tight - and the guitar leads and solos were melodic and fluid considering the change in instrument. Whereas Temples On Mars' set was generally pretty full-on and hard rocking throughout, Twister's material was a bit more varied, with a couple of more ballad-esque pieces sitting nicely alongside their more typical hard rock fare. Perhaps due to their more traditional sound, they seemed to find it easier to get the crowd onside, too. Temples On Mars certainly got a warm reception towards the end, but Twister were pretty well-received from the off - and there seemed to be a few fans in attendance. As such, there were a couple of decent sing-a-long moments during the band's set, and they helped to raise the overall atmosphere and coax more people down from the bar area towards the stage itself. I enjoyed Twister's set quite a bit, particularly the opening few numbers, and they are a band that I will have check out further - and it will be interesting to see in which direction they go with the new line-up locked in.

The changeovers throughout the evening were pretty swift, so it was not long after Twister's set that The Fallen State took to the stage. By this point there were a lot of people congregating down at the front, and the band took the stage to loud cheers - and proceeded to smash through a 13-song set which was just over an hour in length. The band even tried to make their stage show a bit more interesting with a video screen backing - which I am not sure I had seen someone attempt in The Junction before. It worked pretty well, but it would have likely worked better in a bigger venue as it was often hidden from view by the band themselves. Ambition is nice, though, but it was the music that everyone cared about - and the set was generally made up of crowd favourites and a few choice newer songs. The oldie Hope in Revival got the set off to a great start, and it was clear from the off that energy levels were high. I was down at the front, so the sound mix was not the best, but the energy coming from the stage negated this and everyone around me was singing along to each and every song. Methven has morphed into a great frontman, and has come a long way in two years. His voice sounded pretty powerful throughout, despite sometimes being a bit low in the mix, whilst the shapes thrown by both Jon Price (guitar/vocals) and Dan Oke (guitar) were enough to fill the venue's quota for a good while. Older favourites came thick and fast early on, with the anthemic Sinner seeing the first of a few sing-a-longs of the evening, before the perennial favourite Sons of Avarice slowed the pace somewhat and allowed for a more emotional vocal from Methven and a big solo from Price. It was perhaps some of the newer songs which hit the hardest, though. Standing Tall has become the band's latest anthem, and the hooky chorus ploughed through the somewhat rough sound mix. The punkier Knives was another highlight, too, and brought the best out of Adam Stevens (drums) - who is currently on loan from Liberty Lies due to Rich Walker's on-going hiatus. The more dynamic Mirror also shone, with its gentle intro from which the song gradually grows from - before it morphed into a heavy rocker, with some of the biggest riffs of the night. Following this spate of newer cuts, it was generally back to old favourites - including a frantic rendition of the fast-paced Lost Cause and a resurrected Torn. American Made, one of the lead singles from 2019's A Deadset Endeavour, was also resurrected, and it was great to hear the anthemic piece again - before a tease of Black Sabbath's Iron Man segued nicely into the newer River. By this point, though, time was running out - but there was time for a couple more. Burn It to the Ground has always been a big live favourite thanks to its wordless vocal hooks, and the crowd certainly enjoyed singing these sections back at the band - and then the pace was slowed for a set-closing rendition of the soaring power ballad Nova. Phone lights were held aloft here, and the emotionally-charged song saw the set come to a fine end - and one which ended the band's latest UK tour on a high. The setlist was:

Hope in Revival

Sinner

Sons of Avarice

For My Sorrow

Standing Tall

Knives

Mirror

Lost Cause

Torn

American Made

Iron Man [Black Sabbath cover]/River

Burn It to the Ground

Nova

The Fallen State rarely disappoint, and it was great to catch them again in Plymouth. It seems that this latest tour has been a success for them, so I am hoping that it will spur them on in the next stage in their career. It is not clear what is next for the band, but I imagine that they will likely be turning their heads to new material in the near future - but I will always make the effort to see them live if I can - and I hope for many more opportunities to do so going forward.