On the 6th of February, London turned into pop punk central for one night only, and I was one of the lucky ones who attended it.(Granted, I found a golden ticket for the pop punk event of the year at 1am on the very day it was meant to happen, but oh well. What matters is I was there, right? Right?)

Seeing the queue was, pretty much, going around the world and back (see what I did there), we only made it into the venue half way through Ohio natives Light Years. Luckily, I got to see them at their Banquet Records acoustic session the day after, and I very much loved it. I was just a little bit delayed.

Next up were Southampton based Creeper. They are the only non pop punk band on the line up, but they still have an impressive amount of fans in the packed out O2 Kentish Town Forum (these names need to stop, please). Their music, which reminds me of punk bands à la Ramones but also of pop punk classics like My Chemical Romance (what genre are MCR? Are they pop punk? Are they emo? Are they both? WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY?) is clever and wins the crowd over easily. The number of "they're good, aren't they?" I have heard from the top of my stairs seems to announce great things from the charismatic English band, and I'll make sure I'm there to see what happens next.

This tour was made extremely appealing to me by the presence of America's new pop punk sweethearts, State Champs. They have taken the alternative scene by storm thanks to their sunny brand of pop punk and their excellent debut record, The Finer Things. 2015 was a career defining year for them, as showed their pretty much fully sold out headline tour in the UK and the successful release of their sophomore album, Around the World and Back. Their return on our shores as long awaited and the audience is ecstatic as they belt out 2015's Secrets. From the top of my stairs, where I'm singing along so badly I probably deafen everyone around me, I can see how enthusiastic the crowd is - people bounce up and down and moshpits are legion for the best part of the Americans' performance. The band is charismatic as ever and each track brings a little bit of sunshine over rainy London. Whether they perform songs off The Finer Things (Easy Enough, Hard to Please) or Around the World and Back, the audience is responsive, shouting every word back at the New Yorkers. I, for one, can't see what could stop State Champs from becoming a staple name of the pop punk scene or why songs like Elevated or All You Are Is History wouldn't become classics, and that pleases me a lot.

When you see the size of the crowd packing the Forum and when you consider the fact that all this tour was, pretty much, sold out, it becomes crazy to remember that only four years ago, Neck Deep were playing to tiny crowds in toilet venues. Now, the year is 2016 and the world is theirs. The band's second album, Life's Not Out to Get You, has sneakily made its way into every single publication's favourite records of 2015 thanks to its catchy hooks and Ben Barlow's distinctive vocals. As a celebration, they have embarked on a gigantic world tour with State Champs in tow and its London stop is the first time seeing the Welsh mob play a headline show for me.

I don't know what I was expecting and I knew I was going to have a good night, but was I prepared for this? Absolutely never. They kicked off with the excellent Citizens of Earth, one of my favourite songs released in 2015, and as I dance around on my assigned stair, mosphits and jumping about starts in the crowd and don't stop until the end of the night. If, during State Champs, "an enthusiastic audience" was clearly an understatement, during Neck Deep, it even is ridiculous to think it appropriate for a second. For every single person in the venue, the 6th of February 2016 was Christmas and their birthday all rolled into one with a slice of free pizza on top. From the first to the last song, every word was shouted back at the band with endless energy, every attendee was angry finger pointing in true pop punk fashion (myself included) and everyone was giving it their all and more - just like the band gracing the stage.

From the get go, it's obvious that the London show is nothing short of a career milestone for the Wrexham natives. For an hour and a half, they relentlessly run about the stage, communicate with the audience and manage to make each song sound ten tines bigger than it already does on record.

One thing that struck me is how iconic Neck Deep's earlier tracks have become. Bear in mind, they have only been a band for four years, which is incredibly short, and already they have thousands of people shouting back at them the words of songs like the excellent Crushing Grief (No Remedy), Over and Over or Losing Teeth. Considering the crowd participation during new numbers such as the lovely Kali Ma or the ever so positive Gold Steps, it's easy to imagine that, in no time, these songs will be as iconic and classic.

Speaking of classic and iconic, who hasn't heard the sweet, yet heartwrenching A Part of Me? It seems that everyone and their nan knows the lyrics to this song, doesn't it? I even once attended a gig that did not feature Neck Deep in its line up, and people has randomly starting belting it out before the headliners for no valid reason - it wasn't even playing in the venue or anything. It just happened. Goes to show, huh? Obviously, it is a moment most of the audience eagerly awaits, myself included, and as soon as the first notes are played, the lyrics are echoed by the crowd as one.

Frontman Ben Barlow asks everyone to raise their phone lights and the place immediately shines. As far as live moments go, this one truly is one to remember. It's a miracle I didn't roll on the floor in a puddle of my own tears. 

Another highlight for me was getting to hear my favourite Neck Deep song live, the ever so perfect Growing Pains, extracted from the band's debut record, 2014's Wishful Thinking. Another moment during which I'm more than surprised I didn't drown in my tears. Oh to be emo.

The encore is composed of one of the band's earliest songs, Head to the Ground, played acoustically by Ben, a more upbeat version of Life's Not Out to Get You's sensitive number, December (which I'm really grateful for, if I'm being honest. If it had been the regular version, I can promise you I would have crumbled on the floor and drowned the country into an ocean of lacrymal fluids) and finally, one of Neck Deep's biggest song, if not THE biggest, Can't Kick Up the Roots. The venue explodes one last time, a sea of smoke engulfs the stage and if a song about being proud to come from Wrexham, North Wales of all places doesn't sound like perfect celebration to you, then, what does?

Playing the mighty Forum will have been, without a doubt, a night to remember for the young guys in Neck Deep who seem to go from strength to strength. It will also be a beautiful, triumphant reminder to all the naysayers out there that pop punk isn't dead. It's alive, thank you very much, and it is even on top of the world.