An incredible first gig with two awesome guest bands!
DIY ska punk/pop punk Better Than The Book is a music project created by Nick Standing back in 2012. He has since released 1 EP and 3 full-length albums; I reviewed his latest one, ‘Side Character In My Own Life’, last year.
Nick organised this gig to celebrate 10 years since the release of his debut full-length album ‘Two Years On’, with special guests Look What Happened and LUVD. I was very honoured to be invited to this incredible gig by Nick; seeing him and his band play their debut live show was an absolute treat!
Starting off this amazing gig, we had Brighton pop punk band Look What Happened. I really enjoyed seeing them for the first time. Very loud and fast, with melodic harmonisations throughout, sick as fuck with some headbanging moments! They have great chemistry and hilarious banter with each other.
One of the guitarists had a skateboard pedal board, something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before! It was so different and so cool! They announced they had released a self-titled EP with 3 tracks back in October 2025, which I downloaded and listened to on the train home the next day!
Next, we had another Brighton band, alt-rockers LUVD. The vocalist had an incredible voice, very melodic and hypnotic at times. The drummer had a lot of energy, smashing out loud, hard-hitting beats. It was the first time for the band to play this venue. They also had some slower songs, still very enjoyable, and I had a little dance. They played a song that was released just 2 months ago on 5th December 2025 called ‘Eat Your Heart Out’, which they got the crowd, including myself, joining in with!
On to the main act, Better Than The Book! Nick was on lead vocals, guitar, and sampler. His twin brother Eamon Standing contributed backing vocals, guitar, and harmonica. Sam Brown played bass and sang backing vocals. Andy Forman was the drummer. These guys are all passionate and have a lot of energy, jumping around on stage. For a first live gig together, it was incredible! So entertaining, I couldn’t stop dancing and singing along to the songs I knew.
Sam was full of banter and enthusiasm, even coming into the crowd at one point. Andy was very loud and focused, never missing a beat. Eamon switched between his guitar and harmonica and even played both at the same time for one song. Nick played epic guitar riffs and has a great voice. They played songs from all 3 albums, including ‘Undead Education’, ‘Hopes and Dreams’, and ‘Side Character In My Own Life’. Nick mentioned he had found some copies of the EP and brought them to the gig to sell, so of course I bought one!
The whole gig was so much fun, it was great watching bands I had never seen before, and overall, a sick night! This is the second time I have been to a gig on my own and not know anyone, but what a great experience it was! I would see all the bands again in a heartbeat! Make sure you check out all the bands as soon as you can!
Main Photo Credit / All Live Photos: HANNAH CALVER
Follow Better Than The Book on Their Socials:
Need more Punk In Your Life?
Album review: Geordie DIY Punks IRKED drop debut ‘The Grievance’
From the North East of England, IRKED slot somewhere between modern garage punk, ’80s hardcore and eggy post-punk. They’ve just released their first full-length record,
Album review: The Flatliners bring surprising warmth in ‘Cold World’
With their latest album, ‘Cold World’, Canadian punk stalwarts The Flatliners show that it is possible to continue to evolve even after 24 years together.
Vicious Bishop support Mental Health Week with a new song and a shoutout for CALM
Lancaster punk band Vicious Bishop released their new single ‘Raining Guillotines’ yesterday, which aims to raise recognition for this week’s UK Mental Health Awareness Week.
Album Review: Spit Takes release brand new album ‘Teeth’ on Whiplass Records
Whiplass Records are big supporters of their local burgeoning femme-scene, and this is their very first album release:./ ‘Teeth’ collects together all of Spit Takes’
Exclusive Video Premiere – LiVES & Dolium Collide on ‘Shame!’
Blurring the line between collaboration and confrontation, Dolium x LiVES collide on ‘Shame!’, a high-friction joint single. Rooted in indie rock and sharpened by punk
Shadow Shuffle 3 – Reading Facebar, 3rd May 2026
Sixteen bands – two stages – no clashes! Shadow Promotions put on a memorable and mighty varied Punk Festival in the form of Shadow Shuffle
I’ve been going to gigs since I was 18 years old, and have loved them ever since. They are my second home. I enjoy discovering new bands, meeting punks of different ages, and learning more about the scene. I sing, play guitar, and learning the drums. Punk for life!
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
