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?
Live review: Drunktank, Tape It Shut, Reason To Leave and Launch Control at The Butler, Reading 8/3/2026
How about a quiet Sunday afternoon in the English town of Reading? Nah!! Top local promoters Shadow Promotions DIY are putting on four punk bands
Live review: The Bones, Blisterhead and S.L.U.G. at Plan B, Malmö, Sweden 7/3/2026
Last Saturday night in Malmö, Sweden was legedary punk’n’rollers The Bones’ first outing this year, supported by skatecore youngsters S.S.U.G. and street punks Blisterhead. As
Interview: Alex catches up with Mel of hardcore stalwarts Emergency Broadcast
It’s been a while since we heard hardcore that combines brawn and brains as well as London-based quartet Emergency Broadcast do on new EP ‘Make
Album review: Darkwave crew Fotocrime release ‘Security’
Harnessing the fury of Killing Joke and the man-vs-machine churn of Ministry for a new era, Fotocrime release their fifth album ‘Security’ on Friday 13th
Baz Warne’s autobiography – ‘No Grass Grows On A Busy Street: 25 Years On The Road With The Stranglers’
An intriguing, in-depth portal into Baz’s experience as guitarist and singer of one of the world’s best known bands, we become absorbed by tales of
Live review: Screeching Weasel / El Sancho / Square Shapes / The Noids, Honolulu, 28/2/26
Screeching Weasel recently played their first ever shows in Hawaii, with The Noidz, Square Shapes, and El Sancho in support on the Saturday. Our newest
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!
