Alexisonfire/Saosin @ Leeds Met
It never fails to amaze me how hype and acclaim can break a band into the big time - largely its down to luck. Take Four Year Strong, whose release this year easily matched the debut long player from Set Your Goals….. one bands toured Europe twice and hyped to high heaven everywhere, the other remains largely unknown except by those who know.
Take Ghost Of A Thousand - releasing arguably one of the top 3 albums of the year (especially given their ages), they take healthy doses of the Refused, and give it some serious welly. But where are they? Bottom of the heap, a long way behind Gallows, who despite “not giving a shit” suck the cock of everyone available, including the arse of music NME. Tonight, Ghost Of A Thousand cement for me their superiority over also rans Gallows. There isn’t any posturing. There isn’t any wild eyed bug faced “I’m angry me yeah! PUNX!” shit - there’s five lads who look ever so slightly uncomfortable in front of so many people and who shake the bloody walls with a groove laden hardcore. If there’s any justice, people in 10 years time will be referencing Ghost.. as one of the most influential punk bands of the decade. Its not all fan boy hysteria at this end though - the vocals come across as a little samey in places, and some more use of the vocalist singing voice would do good. Otherwise its Fuck Radio 1 Playlists - The Shape Of Punk To Come /10
Equally, Saosin begger belief for the exact opposite reasoning. I’ve managed to avoid their musically excited, vocally plain trudge for a while, so it i guess it was inevitable they were going to crop up at a show eventually. Don’t get me wrong, the guys got an amazing voice, and live he didn’t hit a note wrong, it was spot on perfect. And that’s really the point. These guys were machine polished. Great if you like stadium rock leanings in your (insert current scene tag here) but it all seemed so “safe”. Musically the band were pretty good, but the vocals were the same pitch and whine throughout and it … just….. didn’t….. go….. anywhere. And here’s the rub - how can a band that have evidently taken notes from the far superior Moneen have so many girls eating out of the palms of their hands, when Moneen played to a half empty Cockpit just a few months ago? Where’s the justice? U2 Sneaking In The Backdoor /10
Alexisonfire on the other hand are exactly where they should be. Days/Months/Years of relentless touring, consistently releasing increasingly great records - Alexisonfire are probably one of the in form bands about now. Playing a set heavy on material from Crisis they have the audience in the palm of their collective Canadian hand from the moment they start with a beefed up “You Burn First” to the moment they leave the stage. Dallas seemingly has a croaky voice and at points struggles with some of the singing, but such is the tightness of the band that not only does the second guitarist cover every note, even pot bellied mental case Petit sings his heart out - something I’ve not seen him do before. Theres group hugs a plenty and you know the band really are something special when a rabble rousing Drunks/Liars/Sinners/Saints puts shivers down the spine of even a hardened cynic like me - “This is from our hearts, Sincerity over simple chords”. On Form /10
Filed by Kieran at November 20th, 2007 under Music