Witnessing Life’s Not Out to Get You in its entirety reminded everyone why this album defined a generation of UK pop-punk fans.

Words by Cydnee Brook, photos by Aaron Heather (@aaronheather_photo) | Dec 22, 2025

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It was a stellar night of pop-punk goodness with Neck Deep selling out Brixton O2 Academy for their Life’s Not Out to Get You 10-year anniversary tour. The venue felt packed to the rafters… well, once people could actually get in. Security was taking nearly two hours post-doors to get everyone inside – an absolute nightmare. The solution seemed simple: open doors an hour earlier.

I felt for Anxious, they were brilliant and the perfect opener for this lineup. Hearing them explain how Neck Deep helped shape their musical journey added extra weight to their set, but sadly, most of their potential audience was still queuing outside instead of seeing their performance from my seat. Like many others, I listened to all but two songs through the Brixton Academy walls.

Boston Manor brought serious Friday night energy. After extensive touring, it was refreshing to hear this was their last show for a while. We need more music from them, and that can’t happen when they’re constantly on the road. Their set was tight – they moved as one entity, completely locked in. It didn’t feel like they were burnt out and desperately needed a break, just that they were taking one before reaching that point.

Neck Deep took this Life’s Not Out to Get You anniversary seriously. With at least 20 Marshall stacks dominating the stage, you could feel those vibrations even from the circle. The band’s tongue-in-cheek “generic pop punk” tagline feels like a knowing wink to critics – they know exactly what they are and own it completely.

Opening with “Citizens of Earth” set the tone perfectly – that build-up intro had everyone ready to explode. Playing the album front to back was magical, and while “Can’t Kick Up The Roots” was absolutely mental (as expected), witnessing Life’s Not Out to Get You in its entirety reminded everyone why this album defined a generation of UK pop-punk fans.

Overall, a great gig, but things out of Neck Deep’s control unfortunately put a damper on the night. Poorly managed crowds, rude staff, and an overall vibe that was off detracted from what should have been a perfect celebration. I wish it were just my experience, but so many people have DMed me to share how frustrated they were with how the gig was handled. To be upfront as always, I paid for my ticket and was in that 2-hour queue post-doors like everyone else.