Author: Crossfire

Islington Bar Academy,
13th March 2009

There’s a quiet confidence radiating from London five piece Lights Action as they take to the stage on the penultimate date of their UK tour. With their debut album ‘Welcome to the New Cold World‘ enjoying hugely positive reviews and more tours in the pipeline the band seems to have really come into its own and with Bar Academy almost filled to capacity, the guys seem totally at home (so much so they even have an old lamp as part of their stage set up, giving a homely feel to the proceedings).

They kick off the proceedings with the drama fuelled ‘Moscow‘, with front man Patrick Currier’s distinctive american-lilt paving the way for chest thumping drums from Steve Durham. It’s the perfect way to get the crowd to shut up and take notice, and take notice they most certainly do. Tonight Currier’s vocals are spot on, a few weeks on tour has tuned his voice to near perfection, but still maintains an endearing catch that reveals glimpses of vulnerability. ‘Signals to Radar‘ is sublime, with strings layered behind melody saturated guitars. The performance is edgy without becoming pretentious, with rich hooks and unexpected turns spinning and spiralling throughout the performance. ‘Travelling Man‘ has a broad epic sound, which fills the Academy – the intriguing sleazy tapestry of bass and guitars weaving a track that has quite a punch to it. A cover of Sam Sparro’s ‘Black Gold‘ is an unexpected treat, and given the guitar treatment goes down very well with the dancing crowd, whilst ‘Satellites‘ (one of the few older songs given an airing tonight) is given a new lease of life with a semi acoustic, toned down performance that’s enough to give you goosebumps.

It’s clear that Lights Action are destined for bigger and better things, and have enough explosive energy and stage presence to impress on a larger scale. They’ve matured visibly and aurally in the last year, and are fast becoming making a name for themselves. They end the show with the electric ‘Young Scarlett Young’, a flamboyant, dramatic finale to a compact, tight set that leaves the crowd hungry for more. If they keep going in this direction they’re going to become a force to be reckoned with…

Dee Massey

Photos by Ian Collins

I have seen You Me At Six play the Astoria, the Water Rats, Kings College Students Union as well as Wembley yet while playing the Roundhouse they seem more at home than ever before. This sold out performance saw the lads wrapping up their 777 tour; seven dates at seven venues in seven cities.Lead singer Josh Franceschi stated he was glad they ended the tour closer to home, and so am I. This performance saw You Me At Six like I had never seen them before.

Their entrance was dramatic, hidden behind a screen, gradually a silhouette of each band member appeared before the curtain dropped and the hypnotic set began. The flashing lights also made a real impact, proving the lads can play in big leagues and keep fans entertained, ecstatic, eager and motivated to move.

They performed all our favourites from the album including the title track ‘Take off Your Colours’, ‘If I Were In Your Shoes’, ‘If You Run’ and ‘Gossip‘ to name but a few. The fan favourites seemed to be ‘You’ve Made Your Bed‘ and ‘Save It For The Bedroom‘ as well as the closing number ‘Rumours‘. The guys also presented us with ‘Sweet Feet,’ the b-side to their recent single called and their own rendition of ‘Sugar Were Going Down’, which went out to the crowd with excitement and energy and received in the same manner.

When Josh and his sister took to the stage to sing ‘Always Attract‘ the fans stopped going mental, dancing and pushing each other around, and turned their attention to the stage. The venue was at a standstill and listened, taking in every detail of the performance, giving their undivided attention and respect for this amazing number. With its acoustic start and gradual explosion the song was well received and grabbed the attention of the crowd; it was one of the best performances of the night.

The Roundhouse was their most extraordinarily extravagant set to date. Going all out with their entrance and lights was new for them, but perfectly enabled them to add a little class and a lot more screams to their response. Overall it seems as though You Me At Six have well and truly broken away from just MySpace hot shots and found their ways into the hearts and souls of thousands around the UK. It is highly recommended you catch the lads when they headline the Slam Dunk tour this May.

Michelle Moore