by Arta Gailuma
— Photojournalist —
February 2, 2018 at the O2 Academy in Birmingham, U.K. —
Hailing from Massachusetts town Cape Cod, Highly Suspect is a family affair: twin brothers Rich and Ryan on bass and drums respectively and their best friend Johnny Stevens behind the mic with lead vocals. It is wonderful to see a true connection with their fans. In Johnny’s words from an interview some time back “Highly Suspect is the people’s band.” That shows in their constant interaction with crowd whether it’s just a chat to show some love or reminding not to forget to tip bar staff or having Ryan crowd surfing.
With three Grammy nominations under its belt in two years (Mister Asylum for Best Rock Album and ‘Lydia’ and ‘My Name Is Human’ for Best Rock Song) these guys definitely are on the right way to take over the world of rock! Pushing boundaries in their sound accompanied with lyrics inspired by personal experiences Higher Suspect blend beautifully together different genres of music.
It took the band a while to take the stage but it was worth the wait. The crowd which was fairly quiet during supporting act’s Welles performance suddenly livened up. Jumping, screaming, dancing and singing along and didn’t stop for the whole set which was a nice mixture of lively pieces, ballads, and a drum-instrumental solo. Plenty of fans favorites during the set, with goodies like ‘Wolf’, ‘Serotonia’ and the hit single ‘My Name Is Human’ was left for the encore.
The only downside, in my opinion, was the band missing the opportunity performing to a mixed crowd rather than the young generation who were out in force on this concert. From Johnny’s chats with fans, it is clear these guys love to party hard, but it does in a way overshadow their musical talent and does not go well together with their stronger, more mature sound.
An awesome gig from start to end though. For those folks out there who are just hearing about Highly Suspect, do go check them out!
Highly Suspect & Welles Concert Photo Gallery
Band:
Johnny Stevens- lead vocals, guitar
Rich Meyer- bass, backing vocals
Ryan Meyer- drums, backing vocals
Watch the video of My Name Is Human:
Visit the band online:
www.highlysuspect.net
www.facebook.com/HighlySuspect/
www.wellesmusic.com
