Live Review: Dead Reynolds, Keep This Up, Buried By My Heartache @ The Met Lounge, Peterborough | 15.11.24

Dead Reynolds want to know one thing: "Are you entertained?" [photo: Riley Edmett]

Friday night is gig night here at The Met Lounge in Peterborough. Tonight's lineup is a high calibre of rock and metal acts: Spalding based Bury By My Heartache, city locals Keep This Up, and East Anglia rockers Dead Reynolds headlining.

It has its detractors, but when done right The Met Lounge in Peterborough is a great hub for live music. Tonight is an example of that - everyone is here to forget about the 'real world' for a brief moment and just enjoy a good night of live music. It's also a good chance for people to catch up with old friends; somewhere in the crowd, two people surprise a friend they weren't expecting to see. I'm back myself only after a couple of weeks or so - clearly I missed the uniquely sticky floor and the toilets that make you really get to know someone.

First on tonight are Buried By My Heartache, Spalding's answer to 2000s metalcore: guitar harmonies, dual vocals, and plenty of heavy chugging. While by the end of their set the songs blend into one, this is a band that are tight and ready to hit hard. Opening tracks "Whispers" and "We Are The Dead" give off major Killswitch Engage vibes, and it's hard to dislike a band that has a futuristic-looking skull structure as a microphone stand. New song "Dark Days" has all the elements of a metalcore classic, and there's something about a good pinch harmonic that scratches the brain in all the right places.

Buried By My Heartache: Spalding's answer to 2000s metalcore [photo: Riley Edmett]

Any energy lost in the change over period is quickly replenished as Keep This Up take to the stage. This is pop punk at its finest, with a modern, melodic edge. It's the epitome of what these small underground gigs should be - loud, lively and energetic. Vocalist Jared throws himself around on stage like it's a workout, but the energy here is infectious and spreads to the crowd. There's not many bands that have even thought of the idea to close with a "Hollaback Girl" / "Counting Worms" mashup, all while throwing inflatable bananas into the crowd, but Keep This Up somehow pull it off.

Keep This Up bring the energy [photo: Riley Edmett]

Next on are tonight's headliners - East Anglia's Dead Reynolds. Vocalist Rossco connects with the audience throughout the set, very appreciative of everyone who has come out tonight. This is a band refined in their craft, worthy of playing venues far bigger than tonight's. There is not a moment where the energy dips. A cover of Robbie Williams' "Let Me Entertain You" towards the end of the set goes down a storm, and everyone is having a great time, on stage and off.

Dead Reynolds are a band well refined in their craft [photo: Riley Edmett]

"Are you entertained?" asks Rossco during Dead Reynolds' set. The answer is a resounding yes. All bands have delivered exceptionally tonight. This is a reminder of the high standard of music sitting on Peterborough's doorstep.