Emo Night at The Victoria Inn: Porcelain Girl Headline a Sold-Out Musik Box Party in Derby

There are gigs that are good on paper, gigs that turn out better than expected, and then there are those nights where absolutely everything seems to fall into place. Musik Box Presents at The Victoria Inn on 22 August was firmly in that last category.

For months, this one had unofficially become known as Emo Night, bringing together five Midlands bands for a huge celebration of emo, Midwest emo, pop punk and emotional punk in Derby. Nottingham’s Super Mega Death Robot and Molars joined Danger Dog and Birmingham’s Vienna, before Derby’s own Porcelain Girl took the headline slot.

And it sold out.

Not “pretty busy”. Not “good turnout”. Properly sold out, with people still turning up at The Vic on the day desperately trying to find tickets.

That’s a massive result for Musik Box, the bands and The Victoria Inn, but it didn’t happen by accident. Everyone involved had been promoting the hell out of this gig for months. The bands pushed it, Musik Box pushed it, people shared it, talked about it and brought their mates. By the time 22 August arrived, all that work had turned into a packed room and, as far as I’m concerned, the gig of the summer.

Every single band delivered. The sound was fantastic, the sun was shining outside, spirits were ridiculously high and inside The Vic people were getting properly stuck in from the first band onwards. It was hot, sweaty, loud as fuck and increasingly chaotic.

Exactly how a sold-out show at The Vic should be.

Super Mega Death Robot

Nottingham three-piece Super Mega Death Robot had the job of opening proceedings, making their first ever appearance in Derby, and it didn’t take long for them to make an impression.

In fact, it took roughly one song for the frontman to break a string.

If you’re snapping strings during the opening song of your first Derby show, you’re probably not holding much back.

For a three-piece, Super Mega Death Robot produce a seriously big sound. There are all the twinkly, intricate little guitar patterns you’d want from an emo band, but they’re backed by powerful vocals and some absolutely spot-on harmonies. At points things stray towards pop punk, bringing an extra bounce that immediately had people moving, before dropping back into those more detailed guitar lines and emotional passages.

They even asked the important question: is Derby better than Nottingham?

The screams from the room suggested they’d chosen the right city to ask.

They told us The Vic was a very cool venue filled with very cool people before launching into the only track they currently have out on streaming platforms. It’s a short one, but it did the job, getting an already enthusiastic crowd moving even more.

Super Mega Death Robot were exactly what you want from an opener. Fun, energetic, musically interesting and capable of getting people involved from the start.

Emo Night was underway.

Danger Dog

Next came Danger Dog, Hawaiian shirts and all.

They’d travelled a fair distance to get to Derby, although exactly where we’re claiming Danger Dog are from seems to change depending on who you ask. Liverpool was mentioned on the night, there’s definitely a West Midlands connection in there somewhere, but frankly, wherever they came from, we’re glad they made the journey because Danger Dog are banging.

Their sound sits somewhere between pop punk, emo, melodic punk and Midwest emo, with soulful lower vocals, intricate guitar leads and just enough twinkle running through everything. They’re not constantly relying on massive distortion either. Some of the best moments come when the guitars are allowed to breathe, before everything gets harder and more aggressive exactly when it needs to.

That contrast brings the emotion out even more.

They were also the first band of the night to properly utilise the huge screen behind The Vic’s stage, naturally choosing to have the Surf’s Up video game being played behind them.

Because why wouldn’t you?

“Come on Derby, let’s see you move!”

The crowd obliged.

At one point someone from the audience jumped up to scream along with the band, while Danger Dog also used the set to give Derby some new material. There was already a proper connection forming between stage and crowd, and that would become a recurring theme as the night got progressively more chaotic.

Molars

I’ve got a bit of history with Nottingham’s Molars now.

The first time I saw them was at The Mist Rolling Inn, where I ended up picking up their EP afterwards. Seeing them again at The Vic only reinforced what I’d thought the first time around: these guys write ridiculously catchy emo songs.

This is pure emotional punk.

Molars have a lovely tone to their vocals and a genuine sense of emotion running through the songs without ever sacrificing the hooks. Those songs get stuck in your head, and judging by the reaction inside The Vic, I’m far from the only one who thinks so.

Their little voiceovers introducing the songs between tracks have become part of the experience too, adding another bit of character to a band who already feel like they’ve worked out exactly what they want to be.

They’re tight, consistent and clearly having a lot of fun on stage. The softer emotional sections work beautifully, but when Molars decide to get heavier, those moments hit even harder because of everything surrounding them.

Well-written songs, bags of feeling and another excellent live performance.

I don’t think I’m ever going to get bored of seeing these guys.

Vienna

By the time Birmingham’s Vienna took over, things were starting to get properly rowdy.

Behind them, the screen flicked between VIENNA and the useful clarification:

THE BAND NOT THE PLACE.

Musically, Vienna brought some of the most intricate guitar work of the night. Finger-picked and tapped guitar parts created those gorgeous twinkly emo melodies underneath soulful vocals, while slower passages gave the songs space and atmosphere before everything suddenly accelerated into distorted guitars, shouted vocals and heavier emo punk.

They’ve recently released an EP and used the Derby set to showcase material from it, but what really stood out was the way these songs translated live.

The backing vocals and screams added another layer to the frontman’s emotional delivery, the drums sounded huge and the transitions between those moments of relative calm and the heavier sections gave the crowd every excuse they needed.

The pit opened.

Then it really started kicking off.

By this point The Vic had transformed into a hot, sweaty party. People were getting lifted into the air and crowd surfers were being carried towards the back of the room while Vienna hammered through the set from the stage.

There was energy everywhere.

It was the perfect setup for the local boys.

Porcelain Girl

Porcelain Girl had worked alongside Musik Box to push this gig relentlessly, and by the time they walked onto the stage the result of all that work was standing directly in front of them.

A sold-out Victoria Inn.

Now they just had to deliver.

Behind them on the giant screen, someone was obviously playing Black Ops II on the Xbox 360, with PORCELAIN GIRL plastered across the display before it flicked over to EAST MIDS EMO.

Feedback and fuzz filled the room as the band battered their instruments.

Then they exploded into “Singing Along To Modern Baseball On Bonfire Night.”

Immediately, the place went.

People were dancing, nodding, singing, jumping and moshing from the opening song. Bodies were already being thrown around the room and it never really stopped from there.

New track “Weed Inspires Violence In The Youth” somehow pushed things further. Soulful emotional vocals collided with guttural screams as the pit descended into chaos. Shirtless moshers were being lifted above the crowd high enough to actually kiss the ceiling.

I’ll say that again.

Actually kissing the fucking ceiling.

Tino also revealed a bit of Porcelain Girl trivia. “Singing Along To Modern Baseball On Bonfire Night” was originally going to be called “Weed Inspires Violence In The Youth”, but the band wanted to submit it to BBC Introducing and figured that title might not exactly help its chances. They liked the name too much to bin it completely, so another song inherited it.

On with the show.

Next came “Me and My Gun”, released just one day before the gig and already greeted with screams from the crowd.

It’s a song Porcelain Girl have been playing live for a while, and it wastes absolutely no time getting started. Screams hit almost immediately before giving way to emotional vocals, intricate guitars, pounding bass and drums, all steadily building towards that infectious chorus.

Then comes the breakdown.

There’s something almost nu-metal about it, and I absolutely love it.

Jack screamed at the room to go “side to fucking side” as everyone prepared for the drop.

It landed.

Carnage.

Tino screaming into the chaos.

People crashed into each other as the song switched between aggression and those more soulful emotional passages. It has quickly become one of the band’s biggest live moments.

A new song briefly simmered things down before “Sesame Street Beefs” brought another cheer from the room. It’s a ridiculously catchy Midwest emo track, fast enough to keep the pit moving but packed with the twinkly guitar work that has increasingly become part of Porcelain Girl’s sound.

Tino took a moment to remind everyone to go and buy merch from the bands.

And he’s right.

That night I came away with a limited-edition Porcelain Girl EP designed to look like an Xbox 360 game and a new T-shirt. If you’re enjoying these bands, support them. Buy the CDs, tapes and shirts. That’s how this whole thing keeps moving.

Then came “Tony Blair Witch Project.”

A softer beginning showed another side of Tino’s voice, accompanied by beautiful guitar notes ringing around the room almost like a haunting bell. The crowd knew this one and voices could be heard singing along as bass and drums gradually entered underneath.

It builds slowly.

And keeps building.

Then everything goes.

Vocals are belted out, guitars crash in, drums pound and guttural screams tear through the crescendo while the mosh pit goes straight back to beating the shit out of each other.

Another new song followed, kicking off immediately with more of a pop-punk feel but carrying a darker edge. The pit moved directly towards me, knocked my phone clean out of my hand and stopped the recording.

Cheers, lads.

Phone recovered, recording resumed.

Meanwhile, people were being lifted up and flung backwards. One crowd surfer ended up on stage dancing alongside Porcelain Girl.

Then another one joined them.

Safe to say the new songs work.

Will’s guitar playing seems to be getting increasingly intricate too, with more finger picking and detailed little lines creeping into the band’s heavier sound.

Then came “Ben Thatcher Died for Our Zyns”, dedicated, naturally, to Ben Thatcher, who had spent most of the set in the pit.

This might have my favourite opening of any Porcelain Girl song. A gorgeous twinkly guitar lick rings out before the track suddenly drops into a much heavier riff. Meanwhile, Ben Thatcher himself was hoisted into the air, carried towards the stage and promptly stage-dived as everything kicked in.

Beautiful.

After thanking Musik Box and the other bands, Porcelain Girl went straight into “Black Ops II on the Xbox 360.”

Huge cheers.

It’s probably their best-known track, being the band’s first released single, and the chorus turned The Vic into one enormous singalong. More moshing. More crowd surfing. More people invading the stage.

By this point any traditional distinction between band and audience had pretty much disappeared.

Then it was time for the supposed final song.

“75 Chevy Camaro Z28.”

Jack took control again.

“OPEN THE FUCKING PIT UP RIGHT NOW.”

The crowd didn’t need asking twice.

As the fast, heavy emo track kicked in, everyone seemed to realise this was their last opportunity to throw their mates around The Vic and duly took advantage. Bodies flew, people got yanked across the pit and the whole room erupted one final time.

Except it wasn’t quite the final time. The crowd wanted another one. Chants for one more song filled the room.

Tino ditched the guitar and Porcelain Girl treated Derby to a Midwest emo version of “Dumb Ways to Die.”

Of course they did.

Beautiful twinkly guitars introduced a song virtually everyone in the building already knew every word to, before the faster drums and guitar riffs dropped in and gave the pit one last chance to two-step, shove, skank and scream along.

It was ridiculous.

It was brilliant.

And it was the perfect ending.

Emo Is Back in the East Midlands

What happened at The Victoria Inn on 22 August was bigger than one great headline set.

Every band delivered.

Super Mega Death Robot came to Derby for the first time and immediately won people over. Danger Dog kept the room moving. Molars once again proved just how consistently good they are. Vienna turned the place into a sweaty mess. Then Porcelain Girl finished the job with a headline performance that descended into crowd surfing, stage invasions, ceiling kissing and complete chaos.

But there’s another part of this night worth celebrating.

They sold the fucking gig out.

Musik Box and these bands spent months telling people about this show. They posted about it, shared it, promoted each other and treated selling tickets as something everyone on the bill had a part in. Then people actually turned up.

There were still people looking for tickets on the day.

That’s how you build a scene.

Promoters putting together exciting bills. Bands actively supporting those promoters instead of simply turning up to play. Venues giving them somewhere to do it. Audiences buying tickets, getting involved and picking up merch.

And when all of those things line up, you get nights like this.

A packed Victoria Inn. Five brilliant Midlands emo bands. A sold-out show. A room full of people losing their minds.

For me, nothing else this summer quite topped it.

Emo is back in a big way in the East Midlands.

And on 22 August in Derby, it felt fucking massive.

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