It's carnival jubilance as Tonight Alive welcome London to The Limitless era

We’re now only a few weeks away from the release of Tonight Alive’s ‘Limitless’ and, four songs in, the only thing we can be sure of it that there’s change afoot. Tonight at The Forum in London, any concerns about the five-piece forgetting their roots are shut down within seconds of the band taking to the stage. It’s where it all makes sense.

From the opening euphoria of ‘To Be Free’, Tonight Alive are simply marvelous. Taking the affirmations and positivity that they’ve always held close and twisting them into something grander and more pointed, Jenna’s cry of “Welcome to the Limitless era” couldn’t be more accurate.

Milk Teeth are also a band undergoing a change. Live they’ve always been very good but tonight, they’re outstanding. Gone is the apprehensive friction of ‘Vile Child’ and in its place, a playful showmanship rages. Unafraid to make a bid for the spotlight, the entire band shines. The relentless opening of ‘Brain Food’, ‘Burger Drop’ and ‘Brickwork’ turns head while a powerfully quiet run of ‘Kabuki’ and ‘Swear Jar’ takes hearts. “You can go from a really, really bad place to a much better place,” Becky Blomfield promises. “You can pull through.” Charismatic, engaging and with a sound dwarfing the 1400 capacity room they find themselves in, tonight’s the biggest show the band have ever played but you wouldn’t know it. Taking their backroom snarls and cutting it with arena-ready attitude, this is the best Milk Teeth have ever been. And they’re only getting started.

Sydney aside, London is the only place in the world that feels like a hometown show for Tonight Alive and this evening, they’re given a heroes welcome. From the strobe-laced opening of ‘To Be Free’, through the rumbling fire of ‘Hell and Back’ until the closing shudder ‘Lonely Girl’, the crowd is totally with the band. It’s a connection that’s reflected perfectly.