Category: Live Reviews

The Forum
01.05.07

I was introduced to the music of Cat Power last year and immediately fell in love with the lyrics and vocals of the amazing Chan Marshall. I could not believe I had missed the last 10 years of music created by this super talented being.

From the moment she appeared on stage at the Forum in Kentish Town, I was seriously moved. Never before have I been so overwhelmed by a musician. She was amazing, her voice, her passion, her incredible lyrics, her quirky little moves and sense of humour, the lot. She has a reason to show off, yet she is subtle and delicate, you might even say tortured.

She captivated the audience immediately, with songs such as Living Proof, The Greatest and Where Is My Love even throwing in her own version of Patsy Cline’s Crazy. We were all mesmerized and when she finished with the stunning Lived In Bars, which is a personal favourite of mine, I felt lucky to have been part of this night. In my opinion, she really is The Greatest.

Jacquelina.

Brixton Windmill
01.05.07

It’s safe to say that the good folks who run this tiny south London pub probably haven’t witnessed scenes like these before. Tonight may only be Lucero‘s second UK gig, but the sold-out, booze drenched crowd are enraptured; hugging, crowd-surfing and clambering all over the bar as they howl along to every single word of every single song. In the drinking stakes, this lot would leave the Dropkick Murphys choking on their Guinness.

Their devotion is understandable, though; as the Memphis alt-country quintet are so much more than your average bar band. Singer/guitarist Ben Nichols exudes southern bonhomie as he rasps his way through the likes of ‘Slow Dancing‘ and ‘San Francisco‘; punk-infused gems that tell tales of lovers lost, lifelong friends and years spent touring in rusty transit vans. It’s precisely this raw honesty that enables Lucero to connect so well with their fans; there’s no insincere posturing, no unnecessary grandstanding – just five unshaven, tattooed guys with a knack for a great tune and a whole lot of stories to tell.

By the time the Social Distortion-esque ‘California‘ segues into a ramshackle cover of ‘Ring Of Fire‘, Nichols is almost swallowed up by the fans spilling onto the stage. Make no mistake: they’ll all be talking about this one for years to come.

Alex Gosman

The Acacia Strain, Gehenna
Oxford Zodiac
22.04.07

In an age where tour packaging is the norm and local supports are becoming more and more overlooked, it’s refreshing to see tonight’s line-up going against the grain. Hand picked by Hatebreed front man Jamey Jasta, local lads Gehenna get things started with a sufficient clout.

Don’t let their appearance fool you, these skinny bastards muster some of the heftiest beatdown assaults you’re likely to hear outside of the big leagues, and the enthusiastic reception afforded to them by those here early enough suggests a job well done.

By contrast, The Acacia Strain‘s biggest achievment is in sucking almost all of the good natured anticipation mustered by tonight’s openers right out of the air. On record their furious death metal-meets-hardcore assault is nothing if not utterly punishing, but right now it’s about as interesting as genital warts. Shorn of a guitarist they’re pitted against the odds immediately, with songs sounding flat and their onstage swagger stinking of arrogance above confidence. “We condone violence and aggression,” declares vocalist Vince Bennett. “So let’s see some rage.” Nice.

You pretty much know the score with Hatebreed by now. Huge, fist-pumping anthems, wild circle pits and roars that sound like a lion being fisted right up the bumhole. Slamming through early set cuts such as ‘To The Threshold‘ and a fittingly titled ‘Destroy Everything‘, the hardcore behemoths quickly send just about every punter present into ecstacy, opening up pits that swallow the majority of the venue with ease. But what stands out above all else tonight is the length of the quintet’s set.

The trouble with being a hardcore band is that many songs barely reach the 3 or even 2 minute marks, and having stretched from little under an hour to a good 80 minutes there are simply too many times when it’s easy to switch off. Old classics like ‘Last Breath’ still burn with infectious desire while the anthemic ‘I Will Be Heard‘ is enough to have the whole venue screaming in unison, but it’s perhaps too little too late. Hatebreed will always remain one of hardcore’s most successful and ultimately devastating propositions, but tonight is a shining example of how less really can be more.

Ryan Bird

Islington Academy
30.04.07

Monday’s been a long day, and it’s fair to say my enthusiasm for heading out to a show is lacking somewhat, and by the time I get to Bar Academy I’m not in the sunniest of moods. However Forever Like Red may just be the cure for Monday-gloom, and by the time I leave the venue an hour later, I’m almost smiling.

Formed early in 2006 Forever Like Red brought together the seemingly unlimited talents of Cameron Mashall with guitarist Pelle Hillstrom. Most of the tracks from their forthcoming album ‘Distance‘ that are showcased tonight are written by Mashall, and are without exception the kind of all enveloping tracks that give you goose bumps and stick in your heads for hours.

Taking to the stage Mashall looks at ease, despite the fact the audience is sparse. Backed by Mikkel Heimburger on bass and Jesper Kristensen on drums, the overall sound is rich, full with beautifully crafted, uplifting melodies encased in wonderfully heavy guitars – they’re the kind of songs that you want to go home and listen to over and over again. Mashall has a Buckley-esque turn to his voice, and in tracks like ‘Dream On‘ and ‘Forever Like Red‘ showcases his vocal range without sounding too cheesey or too much like a Buckley-wannabe.

There’s a raw, almost tense, element to some tracks, a sliver of aggression showing through in some hooks that keeps them from becoming too pop rock. Lyrics stick in your mind, ‘Dream on you little fool’ circles your thoughts for hours.. But despite the dramatic flourishes, Forever Like Red have a darker edge, tracks like the climatic ‘Father‘ are raw and emotion driven, guitars cutting through the melody, Mashall twisting and turning on stage, throwing the mic stand to the floor. It’s a dramatic end to a hugely impressive set from the relative newcomers..

Despite the short set list, the band are commanding tonight, the tracks on display are captivating and involving rock, without being too poppy or pretentious. With their Dave McCracken produced debut album due out on Echo later this year, this could be the start of something exciting, and it’s a pleasure to hear a band with such well written tracks. These guys could be the real deal, check them out at Water Rats on 12th June, you won’t be disappointed.

Dee Massey
www.foreverlikered.com

Tilly And The Wall
Ratatat

Astoria
23.04.07

The first thing you notice as you enter the Astoria tonight is the gaudily decorated stage, complete with red curtain backdrop and several disco balls hanging from the rafters. It may look more 80s disco than new-rave; but it has to be said that ever since CSS appeared on the scene, they’ve never let preconceived ideas of ‘cool’ get in the way of a damn good party.

Ratatat‘s minimalist set-up (a keyboard, guitar, and solitary snare drum) at first seems at odds with their surroundings, but they sound impressively huge; hunched over their instruments as they coax deeper, darker, groovier sounds from the speakers. Electro-prog-noir? Oh, go on then.

However, it falls to Tilly And The Wall to truly get the party started; which they do in fine style, gleefully bouncing onstage like a troupe of colourful misfit cheerleaders. Those who would dismiss the presence of tap-dancing percussionist Jamie Williams as a novelty most likely haven’t heard the band’s sublime second album ‘Bottoms Of Barrels‘ – a relatively unsung highlight of 2006 – but tonight, cynicism is futile in the face of their buoyant folk-pop charm. The heartfelt chorus of electro-tinged new single ‘The Freest Man’ is a genuine lump-in-throat moment; ‘Sing Songs Along‘ soon has the crowd doing exactly that; and by the time ‘Nights Of The Living Dead‘ brings the set to a raucous conclusion, the Astoria is Tilly’s sweaty, smiling oyster.

CSS are no slackers in the showmanship stakes either; with singer Lovefoxxx an acrobatic expert of seemingly limitless energy as she skips and somersaults around the stage. Right from the start, the band’s enthusiasm is deeply infectious; and as the dirty electro stomp of ‘Alala‘ is wheeled out second, the crowd merges into a throbbing, pulsing mass with many a glowstick held aloft.

The term ‘new-rave’ seems somewhat inadequate here, given that CSS are more your average guitar band experimenting with dance beats. Recent single ‘Off The Hook‘ is an excellent slice of danceable art-punk that sounds straight out of the late 70s, whilst a surprise electro-rock cover of L7’s ‘Pretend We’re Dead‘ gives clues as to the inspiration for the hint of riot-grrl fire in their sound.

It is, of course, a glorious strobe-drenched finale of ‘Let’s Make Love And Listen To Death From Above‘ that truly raises the roof tonight; with the support bands joining CSS onstage to everyone’s obvious delight. The fickle jury that is the buying public will surely seal the fate of new-rave in months to come; but for now at least, CSS are deservedly off the hook.

Alex Gosman
Photo from www.myspace.com/canseidesersexy

Camden Barfly
26.04.07

With a ever growing impressive roster indie champions Captains of Industry are constantly fighting the corner for up and coming bands, and on a steamy night in the Barfly they’ve brought together the much hyped Silicon Vultures, Scottish upstarts Sucioperro and post-hardcore gods Hell is For Heroes, for a night of screaming guitars, aggressive in-your-face performances and an excuse to rock the fuck out.

We catch the last couple of tracks from Silicon Vultures (don’t blame me, blame the tardy service in Nando’s..) – but you can’t help but be impressed with the blistering pace of the 3 piece’s drum machine driven brand of electro-punk. Frontman Delaney Jae hurtles around the stage like a man possessed; it’s a memorable and adrenaline fuelled performance, check them out before they hit the big time, because they’re clearly destined for big things.

Scottish five piece Sucioperro are an unexpected treat, bringing together well written tracks brimming with both beautifully crafted melody and fire – these guys have the balance between heavy rock and artistry down perfectly. ‘You Can’t Lose what You Don’t Have‘ stands out in their set, with frontman JP Reid bringing the house down. These guys won’t be playing support at the Barfly for long, they belong of top of the bill at a much larger venue.

Appetizers over, it’s time for the main course. Hell is For Heroes take to the stage amidst thunderous applause, and launch straight into ‘Cut Down‘ with a ferocity that pushes the openings acts into shade. A special mention must go out to the best dressed drummer in rock, Joe Birch, who tonight sports a Crossfire shirt- Joe, we salute you!

Justin Schlosberg is celebrating his birthday today but things aren’t going his way, and the set’s plagued with sound problems, with the unfortunate roadie having to fight his way through the front rows to the stage every few minutes to replug a mic etc. It’s Justin’s party and he’ll cry if he wants to – and whilst it never comes to that he does throw his keyboards to the ground, the frustration etched over his face when he can’t get any sound to reproduce for the ethereal bridge in ‘Kamachi‘.

But shrugging off the sound issues Hell is For Heroes simply intensify their performance, ‘Five Kids Go‘ is so jagged and raw that the vocals could scorch you, the sublime new offering ‘You’ve Got Hopes‘ (reviewed in this month’s Pit) is a teaser for their new album which promises to be the best yet. ‘Night Vision‘ sends the crowd into frenzy – and the photographers in the front row almost land at Findlay’s feet. A regular on their set list is a cover of The Cure ‘Boys Don’t Cry‘, dedicated by Will to Justin on his birthday.

Leaving over into the crowd Schlosberg’s face is unsmiling, a blinkered look of determination, lost in the music. ‘You Drove Me To It‘ ends the set, a track which never loses its live appeal. The sheer intensity of the sound being hurtled off the stage is enough to almost lift you from your feet. The venue almost buckles at the sides at Schlosberg leans over the crowd barriers for ‘They won’t break me…they won’t ground me..’, the crowds reaching out, arms raised fists clenched in salute.

A rendition of Happy Birthday lures the guys back to the stage and they bring the house down with ‘I Can Climb Mountains‘, with Justin ended up upside down, feet against the air conditioning unit, head in the crowd. Hell is For Heroes are a band than you need to get involved with, you need to be in the crowd, feeling the excitement, the passion that drives them is palpable, the ferocity of their shows never falters, and it’s always a pleasure to witness a British band who are ever growing in popularity but still remain grounded. Captains of Industry bought them in from the shadows after their split with EMI and without labels like Captains, we might have lost one of the mainstays of the post hardcore scene.

A stellar performance despite the sound problems – Hell is For Heroes impress again, and we leave tonight hungry for the new album. Bring it on.

Dee Massey
Photos by Phil Proctor

Astoria
24.04.07

‘Hello London…how the fuck are you?’ Jared Leto is barely audible above the screams of a sold out Astoria. Outside in the street touts are successfully selling tickets for £40, such is the allure of the move star frontman of 30 Seconds To Mars.

Although he prefers not to ride off his success as an actor, there’s no denying that a large slice of the audience are here solely to see him, and him alone. The question hangs over the venue, is he just another actor who decided to be a rock star one day, or is he the real deal?

When the band take to the stage later than billed that anticipation in the audience is palpable, a white curtain shields the band from our view, until classical music fills the venue, building up and up, blue spotlights pick out figures behind the curtain, Leto in a Jesus Christ pose, people moving quickly, the roses clutched by the girls in the front row silhouetted 6 foot high. When the curtain suddenly lifts Leto and Co are revealed, all in black, with black bandanas covering their mouths, punk rock bandits ripping across the stage. It’s an impressive sight, Leto works the crowd aggressively, his voice true and clear, his swagger as he moves across the stage draws further adulation from the already fever pitched front rows.

Picking and choosing mostly from their second album ‘A Beautiful Lie‘ the band belt out ‘The Story, ‘The Fantasy‘ and more, but it’s single ‘The Kill (Bury Me)‘ which stands out, as Leto throws himself into the crowd, and manages, impressively, to find his feet on the shoulders of fans, and plays the last two minutes of the track standing in the middle of the crowd, arms outstretched – give the man his dues, I’ve never seen a frontman manage that one so smoothly…but knowing this is a gig for kids aged 14 and over, should a grown man really be throwing himself onto the heads of teenage girls? He repeatedly refers to his fans as his ‘family’, and builds on the ‘us and against the world’ mentality which mirrors My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way’s rant at Reading last year, but do we really need bands getting the crowd to chant ‘Fuck You’ over and over again?

Tracks are adrenaline filled and fired up, the band roll out explosive track after track, but it’s hard to work out who they are aiming this for. Leto makes a big deal about being the ‘real deal’, but after getting a very young fan who didn’t look older than 12 on stage, it feels a little too Jim’ll Fix It. Leto promises to stay and sign autographs for anyone who wants one after the show, you can’t help but feel he’s being a little too obliging, even a little too accessible?

They round off the set with a couple of acoustic tracks, and some tracks from their little known first album, but it’s their single ‘Attack‘ which rounds off the night on a high note, it’s a beautifully written, awesomely performed track which the band absolutely nail. Throughout the set the focus is on Leto, the rest of the band aren’t even introduced, and remain in the background. It’s clear who the star of this show is.

It was never going to be easy for Leto to make the transition from Oscar nominated actor to frontman without some naysayers, and even though 30 Seconds to Mars are maybe a little too polished, a little too perfect – it’s backed up with well written, exciting tracks and a frontman who clearly has the crowds wrapped around his little finger. It’ll just be interesting to see how the fare in front of the less user friendly metal crowds at Download this year….

Dee Massey
Photo from www.punkphoto.com

Dan Le Sac v Scroobious Pip
Dingwalls
18.04.07

“Who likes UK hip hop?” said Scroobious Pip from under his trucker cap. “Well we don’t because its shit.” Now, I didn’t like this talentless waster before the set started and as soon as he said that, the opinion was cemented.

Furthermore, slating chart music whilst you’re in them yourself and clearly reaping the rewards of it, makes you a hypocritical oaf. Yes, I said it, oaf. Besides all this, the beats were awful and the rapping reminded me of Sole – absolutely no cadence whatsoever. My mate said Pip was “UK Anticon” and I have to agree. Gutted.

Enough wasted words on him, the stage was finally set for El Producto to reign supreme. As the intro to Tasmanian Pain Coaster began with Mr Dibbs on the decks, a live guitarist and keyboard player flanking him on either side and The Mighty Quin providing the hype man duties, all decked out in camo with face-covering balaclavas, El’s voice could be heard to the side.

As soon as the beat came in, an orange boiler suited El, complete with blood all over his face, bounded on stage and let rip. Flowing straight into Smithereens, El got the crowd as hyped as possible until he unleashed the anthem – Deep Space 9mm.

Hearing the infamous Rawkus line [if you don’t know it, get googling!] sent the packed out Dingwalls into a frenzy and from that point on there was no let up. The set consisted mostly of the new album I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, which was absolutely fine considering it’ll be a hard push to top that album this year. Up All Night got the entire crowd jumping, Flyentology got us singing and the booming basslines of Run The Numbers and Drive just whipped up the atmosphere even further.

Hearing Stepfather Factory live was something of a highlight, as he didn’t perform it last time I saw him, and I wasn’t let down as it was every bit as furiously cynical live as it is on record. Towards the end of the set we were treated to the brilliantly titled Poisenville Kids with the capacity crowd filling in the Cat Power parts and “woo”ing the chorus back at the New Yorker. And by coming back on for a second time and playing Fantastic Damage‘s awesome Tuned Mass Damper, El had given us the most complete, compelling, sweat-inducing and bone aching set he possibly could.

When he ended the night by saying he had not had a show as good as this for ages, despite the fact he probably said it on every date of the tour, you believed him. Deep Space 9mm son, keep smilin’.

Abjekt
Photos by Zac Slack.

Comeback Kid
Beat Union
Astoria
02.03.07

Every time Alexisonfire release a record, the content is always highly commendable. Not simply just because its good music (which it is), but also because Alexisonfire are one of those bands that just don’t change.

They grow, they mature and they improve but they have not once sacrificed any area of their sound to adhere to the ‘practicalities’ of becoming mainstream. Where I once respected, say, Armor For Sleep and Lifetime for the same reasons, we all know that their next major label records will be as pop rock as Fall Out Boy and New Found Glory were three years ago (don’t get me started on the scenes THEY came from…).

Anyway, the point is, the respect I have for this group is one of the reasons I was so excited by the fact that they completely sold out the Astoria. And there were no tickets in reserve this time; the venue was so jam-packed that even the support bands’ guestlists were halved.

(Un)fortunately I missed dubious new wave Brummie rockers Beat Union‘s set, but apparently they kicked up a good fuss, because by the time Victory Records’ Comeback Kid hit the stage the crowd were absolutely wetting themselves. Elbows flying and nails clawing their way to the front just to thrash around a little bit closer to these crazy metal boys. Their set was amiable, although slightly amateur – vocals a little less menacing than on the record and guitarwork fumbling over itself at times, this nervousness can probably be attributed to the fact that this was this band’s first really important overseas performance.

Of course, after Comeback Kid came the agonising 40 minute wait for the headliners to restart the riot. I was toying with the idea of detailing every movement onstage between the two acts just to pull something original out of this review but realised you would probably only skip the paragraph anyway. And so, after a short wait, Alexisonfire literally bounded into view, shorts and all, to re-energise the crowd with a mixed set list of all three of their records. Yet another reason to adore them, by the way, because they’re one of the few bands I know of that have released that many albums and are still proud to put as much effort into their old material.

Witnessing Alexisonfire onstage is always quite relieving. They put on a passionate, crowd-destroying show still unrivaled by anyone they’ve ever played alongside here in the UK, and you can always rely on them for hitting all the right notes. Obviously I am incredibly biased (in case you didn’t notice the halo I drew around them five years ago), but so what, I’m pretty sure the 2000 spectators clapping in the Astoria auditorium sweatbox tonight would certainly agree.

Cathy Reay
Photo from www.myspace.com/alexisonfire

YoYos
06.04.07

During the support act’s increasingly fun set, made fun by the ever smiling chipmunk-like drummer, Brother Ali informed a friend of mine that he didn’t know he’d been scheduled for this show, so he hadn’t got his DJ with him, and instead would be playing off a CD. Normally you’d think this would turn the show the wrong way, but with Ali, you’re gonna get a party whoever is in charge of the beat.

So when he took to the stage, DeeJayBird was getting to grips with the equipment to play the CD from and the tightly packed crowd were baying for the opening to what was promising to be one hell of a night. Standing tall, he began with a medley of classic beats of old, ciphering his way through the intro before busting out the tracks that we’d all piled in to hear.

He brought out the old favourites, Self Taught and the anti-beauty anthem Forest Whitaker, turning the venue into an all-clapping, all-singing, all-dancing congregation as we proclaimed “you ain’t gotta love me”. The albino MC also treated us to some cuts from his almost-upon-us album The Undisputed Truth, with Truth Is… and Uncle Sam Goddamn proving that he’s motoring on with as much skill, style and flavour as ever before.

As the set came to a close and I had sweated out yet another pint, he asked us what other songs we wanted to hear, because he felt bad for only bringing a few beats with him, and after much cat-calling, he picked up on Dorian and Room With A View and gave a full accapella of both, delighting us all as he stepped off the stage deserving every word of praise he got.

The truth is here, and it’s Brother Ali.

Abjekt
Photo by Chris McShee.