Patent Pending & Crew Blow The Crowd Away In Nottingham
Published
Patent Pending have had a long run and have finally cemented themselves in the hearts of pop-punk lovers everywhere, following a hugely successful tour supporting Bowling For Soup. Now, just over a year later, they’re selling out their own UK tour – and for good reason.
The Hype Theory, hailing from Essex, start off the night, playing to a packed-out room. Poor at first, their set suffered from sound issues for the first song or two, but it’s safe to say The Hype Theory grew on fans like a rash, making their set a memorable one.
This is nothing compared to what was to follow, however. Mario and the Brick Breakers, aka Patent Pending in cosplay, played a microset of 2 songs to keep the crowd warmed up for Suburban Legends. If you haven’t heard of Mario and the Brick Breakers, you may be surprised to find an entire album AND movie based on this alter-ego band. With hits like "Boom Boom Pass The Mushroom" and "My Princess Peach", the act is wholly amusing.
And yet the party goes on. Next up are Suburban Legends, possibly the most entertaining and fascinating band out there. With catchy, upbeat ska tunes behind their belt, Suburban Legends seem to have a special sort of connection with each other, and with their fans. With an unmatched stage presence, synchronised dance routines, “circle pits of hugs” and enchanting covers of Disney songs to offer, Suburban Legends have done a fantastic job of working up the crowd, ready for Patent Pending.
With a 10/10 performance from Suburban Legends, Patent Pending clearly have their work cut out for them. Kicking off with "Little Miss Impossible", the band play through an 18 song set, the majority of which are off 2011’s Second Family and 2013’s Brighter.
As if the songs alone didn’t cause enough chaos, beach balls could be seen flying around the room, mosh pits were open and lead singer Joe was all over the place. "Psycho In Love" saw the first ‘crowd swimming’ competition that Patent Pending are known so well for, whilst the crowd were beckoned to bend their fingers like a hook and swing them back and forth during "The Whiskey, The Liar, The Thief". If that’s not enough excitement, just imagine the state of the room during a cover of Cascada’s "Everytime We Touch" – clearly a fan favourite.
Amidst a set littered with infectious pop-punk tracks, Joe stopped the crowd for a sing-along of acoustic track "Spin Me Around", which he dedicated to his wife and child, all the while holding back a sea of tears – touching. Other highlights include "All-Star Hipster" and "Hey Mario", 2 massive tracks from 2013’s Brighter, as well as "Map To Tahiti", which opened up the most vicious mosh pit of the evening.
Patent Pending have gone from essentially a nobody to one of the most enjoyable live acts around. Amusing, funny, engaging and talented, with their latest album providing the break that the band were looking for after so long, there is nowhere for the band to go but up – reinforced by the fact that Joe told the crowd that they were now here to stay, despite the difficulty of leaving family behind. Catch Patent Pending in a small venue before it’s too late!
Words by Blaine Marshall
