Page 32 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 113

BV113 pg 32-33 New Found Glory.qxp_BV113 pg 32 05/12/2025 21:10 Page 1

BlackVelvetMagazine.Com - 32
NEW FOUND GLORY – BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY, 10.10.25
With an upcoming new
album, ‘Listen Up!’, due out
in February 2026, their first
on Pure Noise Records,
New Found Glory had a
window of opportunity to
head to the UK for a 7-date
tour, their first (not counting
festival appearances) since
pre-lockdown. And the wait
was most definitely worth it.
The pop-punkers kick
off their 22-song setlist with
the energetic ‘Something I
Call Personality’ (from their
2002 release, ‘Sticks And
Stones’), the perfect song
to kickstart a weekend after
a hard week at work or
school, allowing you to let
your hair down and passion
flood out. ‘Put your fists in
the air,’ frontman Jordan
Pundik advises the audi-
ence, as he yells ‘Hey, hey,
hey’. The crowd are eager
to oblige.
Confetti explodes over
the crowd at the start of ‘Hit
Or Miss’, the familiar single
which sees the audience
(which consists of both
young and older fans) sing
along loudly and proudly.
The party has now officially
begun. Unfortunately, gui-
tarist Chad Gilbert, who is
battling cancer, is not with
Jordan, bassist Ian
Grushka and drummer
Cyrus Bolooki for this tour,
with Four Year Strong’s
Dan O’Connor (who is now
a labelmate of New Found
Glory’s, being on Pure
Noise Records too) and
Dave Knox of Real Friends
standing in for him.
It's not long before Jor-
dan steps off the stage and
heads over to the barrier,
singing in front of and along
the front row. He lets the
room know that the band
have a long setlist planned.
“We have a lot of songs to
play. I don’t know if I can
take it! Just kidding,’ he
jokes. “We’ll probably play
all the songs that you like.
We’ll probably play a cou-
ple that you don’t like. But
that’s OK, we’re all here to
have a good time.” Every-
one definitely loves ‘All
Downhill From Here’,
‘Sonny’ and the band’s
cover of ‘Let It Go’ (from
Disney’s Frozen, which the
band covered on ‘From
The Screen To Your Stereo
3’, as the loud singalong
proves.

CONCERTS