The Used at the Kentish Town Forum

I was driving home last night and The Taste Of Ink came on the radio. It's not the kind of song that gets played all that often so I turned it up and immediately felt that happy nostalgia you only get from listening to an old song by a band you have loved for many years.

Then I felt a pang of guilt. I went to see The Used a couple of weeks back, started writing a post about it a few days later, got distracted and never finished it. In my last post I said that I would try to return to my former consistent blogging ways this year and so far I have failed. Spectacularly.

So let's go back a couple of weeks and pick up where I left off....

I'll take any opportunity I can to see The Used. I've seen them numerous times over the years and written about a few of them here. When this tour was announced it was a bit special though. The band decided to celebrate their 15th anniversary (how the heck have 15 years flown by?!) by touring their first two albums.

Last week I had the privilege of seeing them at the Forum not once but twice. Monday was their self-titled album (2002) and Wednesday was In Love and Death (2004). When you've seen the same band a lot of times it's good to see something a little different and this was one of those rare opportunities to see two incredible albums played in their entirety, including those album tracks that never get played life. (setlist.fm has this tour down as the first time they have played songs like Let It Bleed, Cut Up Angels, Greener With the Scenery and Poetic Tragedy, as opposed to the 500+ times they've performed The Taste of Ink.)

But let's start at the beginning, as we all know that I like to discuss pre-gig dinner. Monday's was at Hache, which I have raved about several times before, and Wednesday was at Southern Joe's a BBQ joint in Kentish Town, which surprisingly had a fantastic Mexican vegan dish on the specials menu!

I've mentioned before how The Used's live shows have changed over the years. The tone was once set by Bert McCracken's unpredictable moods but these days (presumably due to a combination of sobriety and maturity) you tend to know what to expect. Not that this makes things any less enjoyable of course. I actually feel a strange sort of maternal pride at how far Bert's come (a bizarre emotion to have towards someone who is a couple of years older than you!).

Bert's battled a lot of demons in his time – from substance abuse and homelessness to the death of his former girlfriend – and these first two albums are a product of some of that pain. This is so often the way; the hardest times in life result in the greatest creativity. But I hope for Bert that performing these albums, celebrating 15 years of the Used and I believe four of sobriety, is a cathartic experience.

That's not to say he's no longer lacking in emotion, it's just that these days the band are more likely to express opinions on the state of society than heartache. Songs like Revolution, Generation Throwaway, and Force Without Violence from 2014's Imaginery Enemy are prime examples of this. The old mischievous Bert hasn't gone though. After insisting the crowd sing him happy birthday and being presented with a cake, he blew out the candles and subsequently hurled it into the chaos.

For once there is no need for me to discuss set lists; the only addition to the original albums was the inclusion of Pretty Handsome Awkward as an encore after In Love and Death.

Previously when I've seen bands perform entire albums they tend to open with a handful of other songs, but The Used got straight into it. I respected this purist approach and I'm not ashamed to admit I rather like being home with a cuppa by 11pm. Not sure if I'm growing up or growing old, but at least we're doing it together.

Dinosaur Pile-Up at The Dome

Wednesday 11th November 2015
The older I get the more opinionated I am about live music venues. When I was younger I didn't think twice about it. If a band I liked were playing, I would make damn sure that I was there – whatever the venue, wherever the location. But with age comes experience and, subsequently, venues are now subject to the following checklist: acoustics (actually, this one has always mattered), location, proximity to a good restaurant, bar (what do they sell and how long do you have to queue), and of course familiarity – when you have been to the same venues enough times you know exactly where to stand for the best view.

However, sometimes you get a reminder that hits you like a punch in the face that the venue means nothing – it's all about the band. I've mentioned before that I have seen some great bands rock some truly crappy venues and others have no chemistry at all in the very best, and last week was a good reminder of this.

My husband bought us tickets to see Dinosaur Pile-Up when they first went on sale. I wrote about their show at The Hope in Brighton here, and we saw them again at Camden Rocks this summer; they are incredible live and needless to say the venue didn't matter. In fact we hadn't even heard of it, which goes to show we haven't exhausted every avenue just yet. On inspection of a few online photos, my husband informed me that The Dome at Tuffnell Park looked suspiciously like a village hall. Not very rock 'n' roll....

However, Tuffnell Park is pretty close to Camden and Camden is home of Hache (the king of all burger joints), so 'proximity to a good restaurant' was one thing I could check off my list. When we arrived at The Dome it was indeed very reminiscent of a village hall and (as we drunk flat pints of beer and admired the frilly curtains) I became increasingly certain that this stage had probably been home to its fair share of nativity plays over the years. By this point I was starting to feel the beer/burger bloat and was more than a little tempted to try and track down the cupboard full of chairs that had to be there somewhere in case of an impromptu PTA meeting...

Enter Dinosaur Pile-Up. And with one chord I was awake. I already knew this band was something special live, but that night they performed some kind of magic. They sounded great, they looked great (The Dome actually has some pretty impressive lighting, presumably for helping guide Jesus successfully to Bethlehem) and they inspired the kind of passionate reaction that results in mosh-pits and crowd surfing. I don't think the security quite knew what to do, they looked a bit bemused by the whole thing.

The band's latest album came out last month and they included a fair few songs from this in their set, as well as a sprinkling of Growing Pains and Nature Nurture. The whole thing culminated in an explosive performance of 11:11 which united the whole crowd in its enthusiasm. The show was all consuming and it wasn't until the lights came up that I remembered where I was and had to laugh.

Looking at the Dome's website, upcoming acts include Cancer Bats and Graveltones, so perhaps it isn't quite the off-the-grid affair that I suspected. But in all honesty, the night wasn't about the venue, or its frilly curtains, or even my incredible dinner. It was about Dinosaur Pile-Up and the simple fact that a band this good can play anywhere and make it work – they could tear the roof off your fucking living-room.

Even Slash knows it.

www.dinosaurpileup.com

Silverstein at the O2 Academy, Islington

Two weeks ago I received an email reminding me about my 'upcoming event', Silverstein at The Islington Academy. Erm, what now? You would think I would remember purchasing tickets to see one of my favourite bands, but no... and it wasn't until I had trawled through my emails that I finally remembered the slight credit card-bashing ticket-buying spree I went on last November, that included none other than Silverstein in Islington. So a big thank you to me from the past for buying such a wonderful present!

Canadian post-hardcore band Silverstein are currently celebrating the 10th anniversary of their second album Discovering the Waterfront (featuring the classic My Heroine amongst others) by playing the record in its entirety. As if that wasn't enough, they are opening shows with a handful of their most beloved from across the band's back catalogue.

So last Thursday, after a classy dinner of burritos and beer in the park, we went to Islington and found a pretty packed Academy waiting for us. (Word to the wise, if you can nab a spot at the back by the bar you can enjoy unobstructed views and easy drinks access.)

Making friends in the park...

The last time I saw Silverstein was at the Underworld when they were promoting their latest album This Is How The Wind Shifts (you can read about that night here) and I said that it was the most excited I had been about a gig in a long time and that it would be very tough to beat. They set the bar high but yet again they killed it!

They opened on a high-energy note with Smashed Into Pieces and Massachusetts, followed by a mix of old and newer material including Sacrifice, Bleeds No More and my personal favourite, Vices. I think everyone in the room was singing along to every word, no surprise really considering this band's knack for combining amazing music with ridiculously catchy lyrics. Silverstein kept the momentum going whilst working their way through the entire of Discovering the Waterfront, finishing on a high with Call It Karma. A perfect night.

At the end of the show we were all on beer-fuelled high and went to meet front man Shane Told, who was happily taking photos and chatting to fans. This is surprisingly rare for a band that can easily fill a venue the size of Islington Academy and gave me a new found respect for a band that I already love. Thank you Silverstein for another epic show, here's to the next one!

My good friend Christopher and I after far too many beers, with a patient Shane Told...

www.silversteinmusic.com

The Used at Koko – bourbon, burgers and Bert McCracken

There are a few bands that you inevitably buy tickets for, no matter how busy your schedule is or what other events might be causing you to hemorrhage cash that month, and for me The Used is one of them. If Bert McCracken's in town, you can bet your bottom dollar I'm going to be there too.

Last Thursday The Used played Koko and having seen them plenty of times before, I'll admit the first question on all of our minds was, where should we have our pre-gig dinner? Typically if I'm in Camden I'm drawn to Hache, like a ravenous moth to a delicious flame. It's a gourmet burger place a stone's throw from the tube station (gourmet in the good sense, not the pretentious kind of place that thinks that four chips constitutes a portion). The food is incredible for carnivores and herbivores alike and if it's been a few months I start to get cravings.

Recently, however, we've been trying to branch out, so my BBQ loving BFF suggested we try The Blues Kitchen, which turned out to be a pretty good call. It has the distinctly Southern American vibe that the name suggests, live music later in the evening, and over 100 types of bourbon.

The Blues Kitchen – bourbon anyone?!

The food was good and the drinks selection even better, although I did reel in horror while weighing up the bourbon choice, when our waitress said, "don't worry, by the time you've got a mixer in it you won't taste the difference anyway!" Really? Really?! Anyway the bourbon was great, my creole bean burger was delicious and we were soon on our way to Koko.

Last time I saw The Used at Scala I think the two points I made very clearly were a) how much I love this band and b) how fantastic and engaging Bert is (you can read about that night here), and this show was much the same. The more you see a band the harder it is to write about them, especially if they consistently put on a good show, and you find yourself tempted to write a three word review: It Was Awesome. But there's always a twist to the tale and, just when I think The Used can't make me love them anymore, they incorporated New Noise into Maybe Memories to kick things off. And we all know how much I love me some Refused.

The fourteen-song set then consisted of almost exactly what you would expect: Take It Away, The Bird and the Worm, I Caught Fire, Listening, The Taste of Ink, All That I've Got, Cry, Revolution, The Best Of Me, Blood On My Hands and Pretty Handsome Awkward. Fairly short and sweet but pretty darn perfect and a nice showcase of over a decade of hard work.

As I've said before, I'm a fan of The Used's sound from the early days of their self-titled album right up to last year's release, Imaginary Enemy. I think it's the sign of a great band when the setlist can span the years seamlessly and, despite a variety of ages in the crowd, each song gets an (almost) identical reaction. The only glaring omission appears to be 2012's Vulnerable, which for some reason is notably absent from recent shows. I'd like to see the raw energy of Hands and Faces live but I have a sneaking suspicion it won't happen any time soon.

The night concluded with an acoustic performance of On My Own performed from the balcony then back onto the stage for A Box Full Of Sharp Objects with a bit of Nirvana and Rage Against The Machine thrown into the intro and outro for good measure. What can I say? A night that starts with bourbon and ends with Bert McCracken was always going to be a good one.

theused.net
@WeAreTheUsed

Happy New Year!

That’s right, it’s January, which means two inevitable things; plenty of shit weather, and New Year’s resolutions that are predestined to fall by the wayside before the month is out. However on a more positive note, it is also the month in which I will finally turn thirty, so for once January seems like an ideal time for new beginnings to me. My twenties have been interesting to say the least – the highs have been high and the lows have been low – but it's true that you have to experience darkness if you want to see the stars.

I lost my creative mojo at the end of last year. Life was a little hectic/stressful, winter weather and short days make me incredibly lethargic and, as a result, writing fell by the wayside, particularly this blog. I knew things were getting bad when I failed to write about any of the gigs that I went to in November or December. It seems a pity to let them slide into obscurity, as they were definitely some of my highlights in recent months, so here’s a little summary...

Bayside at Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar, Brighton – Sunday 16 November

This was Bayside’s first headlining gig in the UK for a long time and, as I’ve said before, I love seeing my favourite bands play tiny venues. The unnervingly named Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar is certainly one of those places where you are right in the middle of action; cosy in winter but no doubt unbearably hot in summer.

I never have anything bad to say about Bayside and as usual they lived up to expectations. They sounded great and gave us 16 songs of pure joy, starting with Boy and The Walking Wounded and working their way through to Stuttering (from their latest album Cult) and The Ghost of St Valentine, a personal favourite.

I’ve seen Bayside many times before, but the standout moment for me came after the show. Being such a low-key affair, bassist Nick and guitarist Jack were selling merchandise at the bar. It was an opportunity not to be missed and, having drunk just the right amount of beer, I decided to stroll on over and proclaim my undying love for the band. They were very sweet, happy to take photos and gracious enough not to make me feel like the idiot fan that I am! I honestly didn't think I could love Bayside any more....
 

You can watch the video for Pigsty from Cult here.

 

Trapt at Borderline – Tuesday 18 November

This was a moment that I had been anticipating for more years than I care to remember. To say I was excited when Trapt finally announced a London show would be a serious understatement, and to finally see them at a place like Borderline was a bonus. It’s another venue that is small enough to have the perfect atmosphere and conveniently located in Soho.

Pre-gig dinner was consumed at Kua ‘Aina (worth a mention as I have to love a Hawaiian burger joint that serves Kona Big Wave beer and has options in the menu that can easily be adapted for vegans). We then arrived at Borderline and something to note if you are going to a show here, once you have gone in you can’t leave and come back! We had time to kill so we headed to the back of the venue and found a spot by the bar to drink some beers and pass the time, before heading forwards just before Trapt arrived on stage.

They didn’t play the longest setlist in the world but it as a good one and the energy on stage and in the crowd was fantastic. From the opening chords of Bring It right through to Headstrong and an encore of Stand Up and Still Frame, the momentum never slowed – except perhaps for Black Rose which was a nicely timed change of pace before the more recent Love Hate Relationship.

I think like me, many people had been waiting a very long time for Trapt to come to London. It's been just over 12 years since their self-titled album found them a loyal following and if you live in the UK, chances are you might never have seen them live before. Was it worth the wait? Hell yes. And hopefully next time they won't leave it so long before returning.

Gaslight Anthem at Alexander Palace – Wednesday 18 November 

Sadly this night began with an epic failure. Transport issues, bad judgement and the fact that the venue is on top of a great big bloody hill meant that we missed the support act. This wouldn’t normally be a problem but the first band on stage was Bayside.

In our defence their stage time was ridiculously early, in fact so early that it warranted a tweet or two from the band, who were clearly aware that most people would miss them if they didn’t spread the word! Luckily Bayside's Brighton show, just days before, was so good that missing them didn’t upset us as much as it could have, and at least we were in time for Gaslight Anthem.

I’m not the biggest fan of Alexander Palace as a venue, it’s too big and lacking in atmosphere (although the selection of food and beer is pretty darn impressive). The last time I was there was to see the legendary Alice Cooper and the fact that he puts on such an impressive stage show kind of distracts you from the venue’s lack of personality. Now Gaslight Anthem may not have incorporated live animals or pyrotechnics into their show, but they are just so bloody good that they made me forget where I was.

I’ve reviewed their shows several times before, so if you want to read more then click here, but I do want to mention my highlight – a moment that truly made up for the fact we had missed Bayside. Brian Fallon brought out Bayside’s Anthony Raneri to sing Great Expectations with him. It was one of those beautiful moments that send shivers down your spine and makes all the hassle of getting to certain shows seem worth it.

Taking Back Sunday at The Roundhouse – Tuesday 9 December

©Michael Dubin

The Roundhouse isn’t my favourite venue either, but whether Taking Back Sunday are playing here or in a field in the Welsh countryside, they are never anything short of brilliant. This was my third time seeing them in 2014 alone so I won’t bore you with the details (you can find more TBS ramblings here), but as always they put together a setlist that left me smiling and singing my heart out.

Seriously, this band know what they are doing. They always manage to integrate new material into their setlist flawlessly, playing new songs like Beat Up Car, Stood A Chance and Better Homes and Gardens alongside classics like Liar, Timberwolves at New Jersey and My Blue Heaven. Predictably they closed with Cute Without the 'E' and Make Damn Sure, and you know what? I'm happy they did! Another flawless performance from a consistently brilliant band.

Random moment of the night would probably be when I decided to purchase a bottle of Prosecco at the bar (I’d consumed a lot of beer and mulled wine and it’s not often that Prosecco is an option at a gig so I thought, why not?!), without considering that we wouldn’t be allowed the glass bottle and therefore my friend and I had to consume our halves out of plastic pint glasses! Not the smartest plan or the classiest behaviour in the world but amusing nevertheless.


Danny Elfman at The Royal Albert Hall – Friday 12 December

My last event to wrap up a busy few weeks came courtesy of my beautiful sister and brother-in-law, who bought us tickets to see Danny Elfman's music from Tim Burton films being performed at The Royal Albert Hall. We had a fantastic seat in a box with just two other people and it was a truly memorable night.

The orchestra were fantastic, as were the choir, and while they performed music from Burton's classics (including Edward Scissor Hands, Batman, Beetle Juice and Sleepy Hollow), clips from the films were shown on a screen above.

At the end of the evening Danny Elfman himself arrived on stage to perform a selection of songs from my favourite, The Nightmare Before Christmas. It was another of those magical moments that you know will stay with you forever.

And that just about wraps up my brief rundown of gigs from the end of last year. Hopefully I have got my writing mojo back as I have one or two shows on the horizon already. But first up was a different event – I went to see my beloved New York Knicks playing at the O2 last week. Despite the fact they are having a difficult season (and lost yet another game), I was still very excited to show some support, drink some beers and get another glimpse of the legend that is Pablo Prigioni.

Until next time, I hope you are having a very happy New Year.

Tigercub at The Social, Soho

One of the best things about living in London, or any major city for that matter, is that you never have to travel far to get to a good gig. If a band is touring the UK they are inevitably going to wind up in London and, equally, there are plenty of lesser-known bands playing venues all over the city.

Another great thing is that there is something to do on any night of the week. (When you have previously lived somewhere that resembles a ghost town from Sunday to Thursday this is very much appreciated.) So to spend your Wednesday evening in the company of Tigercub and not even have to pay a penny for the privilege is pretty darn great!

As you might remember, I stumbled across Tigercub just over a year ago when they were supporting Dinosaur Pile-Up at The Hope in Brighton. It was one of those rare occasions that we arrived in time to catch the support act and were very impressed. I've tried to see them a few times since and for one reason or another it just hasn't happened, but last Wednesday they were at The Social in Soho.

The Brighton three-piece have a heavily grunge-inspired sound fused with just the tiniest hint of pop. Growing up in the nineties they list a catalogue of great bands as influential to their work – Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Weezer – as well as a wider range including John Lennon and The Monks. Being a nineties kid too I'm a sucker for grunge and in my opinion they capture the best parts without sounding dated or overly nostalgic; it's different and new but still comfortingly familiar.

Musical talent aside, there is something immediately likeable about Tigercub. They have stage presence without having to try too hard, they seem like the kind of guys you could happily drink beer and talk music with and, most importantly, they seem genuine – you can always tell when the music comes first for a band and not the image.

The Social is a pretty small venue but the sound is good and Tigercub put on a solid show. Despite being a week night, the crowd that turned out clearly enjoyed the set and, best of all, the band played with the same commitment that many reserve for a much larger audience. My personal highlight was Centerfold, a song that perfectly captures exactly why I love Tigercub.

With so many bands emerging from Brighton it's pretty hard to stand out from the crowd, but I hope Tigercub's hard work and perseverance pays off. Although I enjoyed seeing them in such an intimate venue yet again, I feel slightly maternal towards these guys and nothing would make me more proud than seeing them play to the size of crowd they deserve.

This is their debut single Blue Blood, produced by Tom Dalgety and Dinosaur Pile-Up's Matt Bigland. You can also check out  Centerfold here.


www.tigercubtigercub.co.uk
@_TiGERCUB

The Used at Scala

There are many things that you should be doing 48 hours before you move house (packing, panicking...), and going to a gig probably isn't one of them. But this wasn't any old gig, it was The Used at Scala, and the tickets had been purchased months before we knew that the sale of our house would drag on for so darn long....

Before I get to the show, I'm going to admit that my last few write-ups have been a tad soppy and full of unadulterated praise (see Taking Back Sunday and Bayside for proof). I'd like to say that this particular trend is over (writing about bad shows is actually easier than good ones) but, along with the aforementioned, The Used make up my holy trinity – the final piece in the puzzle of a long time love affair that I really can't play down.

So there I was, a million miles away from the stress of preparing to move house (or so it felt), happy to have escaped the nightmare of knowing that 80 percent of my life was packed up into boxes, or worse, that the remaining 20 percent was yet to be dealt with. Beers had been drunk, dinner had been eaten, and we had grabbed that elusive spot on Scala's balcony that nobody else seems to know about – perfect view, queue-less bar just behind, what's not to love?!

Formed in 2001, The Used hail from Utah and, drummer aside, they have retained the same lineup ever since. They are a fantastic live band and front man Bert McCracken is... well, he's Bert. Unique, charismatic and unpredictable, with a voice to match. I've seen him at previous shows in various moods ranging from completely crazy to kind of grumpy – but tonight he was at his finest; funny, engaging and extolling the virtues of sobriety.

The Used released their self-titled debut album 12 years ago and subsequently followed it with five more, the most recent being Imaginary Enemy, released in April. With each album their sound has evolved; from the post-hardcore, rawness of their first record and the follow-up In Love and Death, to the slickly produced Lies For The Liars, via a range of influences on Artwork and Vulnerable, culminating in the politically charged anthems on their latest offering.

As their sound has developed, I've witnessed one or two fans fall by the wayside, having decided that the experiments with dub step were quite literally a step too far (listen to Hands and Faces and make up your own mind – I'm definitely in the 'love it' camp). These particular fans wanted The Used to stay the same as in the early days, but that isn't realistic. It's like asking you to wear exactly the same outfit for ten years and not get bored.

Personally I love them as much as I ever did. They have retained what makes them The Used and perhaps I have simply evolved alongside them, but all I know is that I still listen to each of their albums with an (almost) equal passion. I could never put my finger on exactly why the changes have worked, until Bert did it for me, saying "We've always tried to do what isn't cool." Simple but so true. They don't follow the crowd – hell they don't even try to please the crowd – they just keep doing their own thing, and that's an attractive quality in all walks of life.

Kicking off their set with Cry from Imaginary Enemy – yet another example of a song I fell for instantly – they immediately went back in time to Take It Away from In Love and Death, proving effortlessly just how relevant their older material still is. I was transported back to my university days and the memory of the nightclub that played Take It Away every week without fail whilst serving ridiculously cheap drinks. This was followed by The Bird and The Worm off what I lovingly refer to as the 'over produced' Lies For The Liars, then Listening, I Caught Fire, The Taste Of Ink, All That I've Got and Buried Myself Alive.

It was an incredible trip down memory lane. The sound was great, the atmosphere was electric, and once again I was reminded just how passionate and dedicated The Used fans are. We were then brought back to the present by Revolution, the powerful opening track off their latest release. By the time they reached the encore and the always-moving On My Own I felt a bit sad, it was the kind of night that you just don't want to end. However, some uninvited guest vocals from a baritone voice in the crowd hilariously killed the mood, making even Bert laugh.

Finally the band played A Box Full Of Sharp Objects, finishing very appropriately with one of their oldest and most beloved songs. It was perfect. After 12 years and a lot of ups and downs, I'm so glad that I still love The Used. And the girl I was ten years ago, dancing to Take It Away and drinking Jack to forget her troubles, would be pretty damn pleased about that fact too.

Huge thank you goes to Luke Osborne for the fantastic photos, shot on behalf of www.musicboxunwinds.co.uk. You can check out more of Luke's work at lukeosbornephotography.tumblr.com.

theused.net
@WeAreTheUsed

Bayside and Alkaline Trio at The Forum, Kentish Town

We all know that getting a person's name tattooed is usually a very bad idea. Tacky? Probably. Risky? Definitely. But committing your love for a band to ink is another matter entirely (unless you have a Lost Prophets tattoo in which case you probably regret it for numerous reasons), which is why I'm happy to wear my Bayside bird with pride. They are my favourite band and I don't use the word 'favourite' lightly.

If you ask me to name my favourite film or fashion designer, the best that I can do is come up with a top five, and with bands I would probably need to make it a top ten. But when push comes to shove and I have to pick a favourite, it's always Bayside. I won't try and rationalise why. I could bore you for hours talking about their beautifully clever lyrics and infectious melodies, their talent as musicians or passion as live performers... but like all great loves it really just boils down to chemistry. And man am I smitten.

So on Saturday morning I woke up with a big fat smile on my face knowing that they were back in London for the first time in several years. Better still they were supporting Alkaline Trio, a band that I have recently rekindled my feelings for after a love affair that ended inexplicably without me even realising many years ago.

The fact that Bayside are still a support act baffles me. Formed in 2000, they have six studio albums under their belt and have been on numerous high profile tours with bands such as Taking Back Sunday. I can't work out for the life of me how they are so incredibly underrated. To see a support act of their calibre is pretty rare and I've seen them play some small venues, supporting bands that are clearly inferior. (Sorry A Day To Remember but you know I'm right...)

On the plus side it does mean that I'm still getting to see my favourite band up close and personal at venues like The Forum, and on Saturday I had a first class view just a few rows back, smack bang in front of bassist Nick Ghanbarian.

Bayside are currently promoting their latest album Cult and kicked things off with a new song Big Cheese before working their way through classics like The Walking Wounded and Devotion and Desire.

Anthony Raneri's completely unique voice gives the band a distinctive edge and guitarist Jack O'Shea effortlessly proved why he has been nominated for Best Guitarist at the first Alternative Press music awards, a well deserved accolade. Check out Devotion and Desire and you'll see what I mean – for the record he's just as flawless live.

Quite simply Bayside killed it. Once they had finished I knew that I had already got my money's worth. Were it not for an impending set by Alkaline Trio I could happily have called it a night and gone home to my sofa to celebrate Bayside's success with my good friend Jack Daniels. Instead I settled for another trip to the bar, which sadly lost us our prime position. The atmosphere isn't the same when you are further away from the stage but we still had a pretty good view. Luckily it was nowhere near as packed as last year's Refused gig which made me dislike the Forum immensely for a while...

Alkaline Trio put on a great show as expected and I, along with the rest of the crowd, happily sang my way through nine albums' worth of gold. I'm not sure I can pick out a highlight but This Could Be Love, Stupid Kid and Private Eye were all pretty incredible. In fact here's the setlist so you can see for yourself:

Yes, Alkaline Trio were fantastic but for me they were simply the icing on the Bayside cake. I got my fix. But a high like that is inevitably followed by a low, and the next morning I found myself wondering if I'd be waiting just as long for them to return to London. Or will 2014 be the year they hit the big time?

After all these years I'm completely torn between wanting Bayside to take over the world and achieve every bit of success they deserve, and wanting them to stay exactly as they are – seriously underrated but perfect. A Bayside gig is the only place that anyone has recognised my tattoo and if I'm honest I like it that way. I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve every single day but only a fellow Bayside fan will ever know it.



www.baysidebayside.com
@BaysideBand


www.alkalinetrio.com
@Alkaline_Trio

Taking Back Sunday at Koko, Camden

Taking Back Sunday, Koko, 26 February

It’s taken me far longer than it should have to get around to writing this, because it didn't seem particularly exciting to simply write ‘Taking Back Sunday were freakin fantastic’. But in truth that’s all that needs to be said – Taking Back Sunday are fantastic.

If you love music, then you probably love a whole bunch of bands, choosing a soundtrack to suit every mood and making playlists for everything from road trips to pounding the pavements. But some bands steal a particularly large chunk of your heart when you least expect it and hold onto it forever.

© Sarah Louise Bennett

I think one of the reasons I love Taking Back Sunday so much is that they are an integral part of the soundtrack to a very memorable time in my life, a time that brought some unwelcome challenges followed by a move to another city for university. I think a lot of the things you enjoy at that particular time in your life define what you will like in the future, and music is no different.

At school I’d loved bands from the 90s with a fierce and unrivalled passion, but due to my age I was often late to the game, discovering them on the second or third album. I love the Stones and Fleetwood Mac too, but they really belong to my parents. I listen to a whole host of new bands, but these aren’t truly mine either – they belong to a new generation of skinny jean clad boys and girls who are no doubt as vocal about them as I was about the Foo Fighters all those years ago.

But there was a magical moment at the turn of the millennium when the tide turned and a new wave of bands had emerged, and suddenly something clicked. This sound was new and slightly different. It just felt right. This was a time just before the label ‘emo’ was being thrown around and before Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance dumbed the scene down a bit and fed it to the masses. The look fitted my generation too; boys who bought clothes in the right size not three sizes too small, and who only needed a handful of tattoos or the occasional piercing to set themselves apart.

This new generation included bands like Brand New, The Used, Bayside, Silverstein, Senses Fail and Rival Schools, and although I’d loved bands before and have done since, that certain musical moment suspended in time on CD (I was yet to own an iPod) spoke to me in a way that nothing else had. This was a time before Facebook, and in some cases even My Space, when bands really had to work hard and do it the old fashioned way to make their mark and sell records.

© Sarah Louise Bennett

The problem with the deep love I have for Taking Back Sunday, is that every time I go and see them, I'm still as excited as a child at a birthday party who’s had too much cake and cola, and subsequently spiralled into a debilitating sugar coma. Except instead of cake it’s Jack Daniels, and instead of cola it’s Jack Daniels, and instead of a sugar coma it's a level of inebriation that means not once have I truly remembered an encore.

So last month I headed to Koko with a game plan – to quit while I was ahead and stick to a three drink limit. After all, the band have grown up and matured so shouldn’t I be reflecting that in my appreciation?! With this in mind I stood on the balcony looking down on the action and spent a relaxed evening singing my heart out (my sincerest apologies to those around me.)

© Sarah Louise Bennett

The new album Happiness Is was still a couple of weeks away from being released so apart from a few new songs including the magnificent Flicker Fade, the setlist was a nice selection from the band’s back catalogue. Some people are pretty opinionated about which TBS era is best – the early years, post John Nolan and Shaun Cooper, the reunion – but personally I love it all. I particularly enjoyed the substantial portion of Louder Now including My Blue Heaven and Error Operator, which, if memory serves me correctly, have been missing from the last few shows I’ve been to.

Adam Lazzara is always an entertaining front man and the band seem to be genuinely enjoying playing together since reuniting the original line-up in 2010, which has resulted in an unbeatable chemistry and energy. The night ended on a high with a crowd-pleasing rendition of Cute Without The 'E' (Cut From The Team) followed by a three-song encore that concluded the only way it could, with Make Damn Sure.

© Sarah Louise Bennett

From my elevated view point I looked down happily and with a certain amount of nostalgia, thinking how great it is that after so many years TBS are still producing music that excites me and makes me smile. I might be older and ever so slightly wiser, but that piece of my heart that they stole all those years ago still very much belongs to them. And I hope it always will.

Happiness Is is available now on iTunes, CD and some rather sexy vinyl

www.takingbacksunday.com

@TBSOfficial

Huge thank you to Sarah Louise Bennett for the fantastic photos – www.sarahlouisebennett.co.uk

Presidents of the United States of America at Concorde 2

If you were a child or a teenager of the nineties, there's a very good chance that The Presidents of the United States of America's self-titled debut album was an integral part of your soundtrack for the latter half of the decade. I was only ten when it was released but I remember a friend playing it to me and instantly falling for its charms. Sure this was rock music, but the ridiculously catchy melodies and surreal humour gave it a mass appeal that was hard to ignore.

Although the band's initial stint was short lived, splitting for the first time in 1998, they influenced a generation and when we finally turned fourteen eighteen and started frequenting nightclubs, those initial hits – Lump, Peaches, Kitty – were still being played and enjoyed by all of us who were nostalgically reliving the better half of what the nineties had to offer.

Fast-forward another five years or so and the reformed band were touring again, jump forward another decade and there I was at the Concorde 2 in Brighton watching them play as good a show as I've seen them put on to date. I wrote about the Concorde 2 recently when I saw Ugly Kid Joe and yet again the sound was amazing. From the moment PUSA arrived on stage belting out Kick Out The Jams, to the final note of the encore, concluding with the very same song, they had the crowd hooked.

This is a band that has kept a loyal following over the decades, which was evident from the sea of smiling faces enthusiastically singing along to every word. None with more passion than my brother-in-law who, clad in a PUSA tshirt (the group consensus being that this as one of the few instances where it's acceptable to wear a band's shirt to their show) sang every last word with a devotion to rival Chris Ballew himself!

And that said it all really. This is a band that are clearly having fun and so are their fans. They love what they do, they make you smile, and when so many bands spend their time singing about misery and heartache, once in a while – especially on a rainy Sunday night – you just want to have a laugh and hear someone singing about moving to the country to eat peaches.

I'll admit that I'm always the person in the crowd hoping to hear as much of that debut album as possible – thanks guys, you didn't let me down – but my other favourite is a little song called Some Postman, which is the epitome of their ability to combine humour with genuine musical talent. I'm also very partial to Video Killed the Radio Star, one of those rare cases where a cover version might just be better than the original! Sorry Dad, I know you won't agree....

The new album Kudos To You! (yet another Pledge Music success story), which they made us laugh by heavily promoting between songs, is actually very good and worth checking out for PUSA fans of old. Almost twenty years have passed since their debut, but seeing them peform live is as good a reminder as you'll get that despite making a name for themselves with a comical song about peaches, this band is no gimmick.

@therealpusa

Silverstein at The Underworld, Camden

28th November 2013

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that this is the most excited I had been about a show in a very long time. Not only are Silverstein an amazing live band, who haven’t been in the UK for a few years, but their latest album This Is How The Wind Shifts is nothing short of fantastic.

©Deanna Wordley, courtesy of www.soundscapemagazine.com

Normally it’s pretty hard for a band to make you fall in love with an album in the same way as the first one that drew you to them. They can keep making music you love, but that first album you fell hard for always has a certain magic that is near impossible to beat. However a couple of listens of Silverstein’s latest offering had my gig-buddies and I exchanging looks which said, ‘is this actually as awesome as I think it is?!’ To which the answer is, categorically, yes.

Formed in Ontario, Canada in 2000, Silverstein have released six studio albums and cite Dead Kennedys, Green Day and NOFX as influences. They are the kind of band that can successfully cover a whole spectrum of emotions in one carefully crafted album, from the heaviest screams to the most beautiful melodies.

They had stuck to a very similar set list for the first leg of the tour, but the European portion came with the promise of a few changes. So five weeks ago I was at The Underworld in Camden, filled with excitement and festive beverages (mulled cider? winter Pimms?… erm, yes please!)

Clad in a NOFX denim jacket, Shane Told filled the venue with his powerful vocals, keeping the audience hooked from start to finish. We grabbed ourselves a good position; towards the back but with a perfect view that was unobstructed by those bloody Underworld pillars! The energy was electric.

Opening with Your Sword Versus My Dagger and moving straight into the incredible Massachusetts, they played a good mixture of old and new material. They even included a few songs that, in my humble opinion, had been missing from recent set lists, such as a personal favourite Vices, cleverly sandwiched between A Great Fire and Broken Stars.

Another addition was guitarist Paul's beautiful rendition of Arrivals and the entire band's subsequent delivery of Departures – both highlights from the latest album – followed by Giving Up. This section was a nicely executed change of pace, which only served to hype the crowd up more for the powerful finale of My Heroine and Smile In Your Sleep which followed.

The band returned on stage for an encore of To Live and Lose followed by Smashed Into Pieces. Aside from To Live and Lose, the last few songs were in fact the one thing that barely changed throughout the tour. And although elsewhere the changes were welcome, here I was glad that they stuck to the tried and tested. As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it – and these songs are far from broken.

I hope Silverstein will be back in the UK soon. I’ve seen some great bands at The Underworld, but this was one gig that will be very hard to beat.

www.silversteinmusic.com
@silverstein

Ugly Kid Joe and Skid Row at Concorde 2, Brighton

When I went to see Dinosaur Pile-Up at The Hope, I said that it was a relief to finally have a show to review after six weeks of total giglessness (sure, that’s a word). Well that was back in July. July! So you can imagine my happiness last Monday night to be on my way to Concorde 2 in Brighton for a musical threeway with Ugly Kid Joe and Skid Row.

I saw both bands at Download in 2012 (actually I didn’t see Skid Row, but I saw Sebastian Bach perform 18 and Life so near enough!) and I was excited to see them again, especially at this particular venue. Concorde 2 is a Victorian building, originally used as a tearoom in the 1800s, that has retained a lot of its original character. It’s a nice size, the sound is always incredible and although it doesn’t have any kind of camber, it’s pretty easy to squeeze your way to the front for a good view. (Having said this, a serious error in judgement meant we spent the first couple of songs wedged in the entrance to the toilets…. Classy.)

First up were California boys Ugly Kid Joe sounding as good as ever. For a band that hasn’t changed its style, and that garnered much of its original following from a borderline gimmicky song, they are undisputedly credible. Honest to God they sounded as good as you remember and belted their way through a setlist that included So Damn Cool, Neighbourhood, Cats in the Cradle and of course, Everything About You.

I think Whitfield Crane might have discovered the fountain of youth, he really hasn’t aged much. He still has the long hair, the shorts and the boundless enthusiasm of a puppy with ADHD, which was never more apparent than during a frenetic cover of Motorhead’s Ace of Spades. Despite a lengthy split from 1997 to 2009 they are back on form, and seeing them live again has made me feel a bit guilty that I still haven’t listened to their 2012 release, Stairway to Hell. Time to dig that out me thinks!

Next up were Skid Row, or at least the current incarnation of Skid Row. Although as lead singer Johnny Solinger pointed out, he has had the job for 14 years now since Bach’s departure in 1996 and the brief hiatus that followed.

Now Skid Row really is gimmicky – a living memorial of hair metal’s eighties heyday – and honestly that’s fine with me. They have some bloody great songs and if these come with a side order of long hair, bandanas and theatrics then so be it. Anyway, if you can’t appreciate a genre that encompasses Motley Crew, Van Halen and Poison then you’re probably taking life a bit too seriously! So yes they are looking a lot older and yes it was a tad cheesey, but I got what I came for – a good old singalong to 18 and Life, I Remember You and Slave To The Grind. Sebastian Bach would be the icing on the cake, after all, their best songs are arguably on their 1989 debut album, but credit to Solinger – he’s doing Skid Row proud.

All in all it was a great night and a welcome blast from the past. Hopefully this spells the end of the painful gig drought – up next are Silverstein at Underworld, which I couldn’t be more excited about, and Tenacious D.... and I’m very much looking forward to a date with KG and JB that doesn’t begin in Nando’s!

www.uglykidjoe.net
www.skidrow.com
www.concorde2.co.uk

Dinosaur Pile-Up at The Hope, Brighton

That’s right, I actually have a gig to review! I was beginning to get slight withdrawal symptoms as the last show I went to was Senses Fail way back in May (I kept my promise to see them again in the UK after the drunken LA debacle). So happily on Saturday night I found myself at The Hope in Brighton in the presence of the mighty Dinosaur Pile-Up.

This was made even more exciting by the fact it was my first live Dinosaur Pile-Up experience, and you always remember your first time! Minds out of the gutter people, you know exactly what I mean…

Dinosaur Pile-Up was formed by frontman Matt Bigland (formerly of Mother Vulpine) in 2007 and if Wikipedia is to be believed, he chose the band’s name based on that moment in King Kong where a stampede of dinosaurs trip and roll down a hill, causing what can only be described as a dinosaur pile-up. Matt decided then and there that it would be the name of his next band and he delivered on that promise.

Debut album Growing Pains was released in 2010 and was my introduction to the band. It immediately drew comparisons with nineties grunge (never a bad thing in my book) but was by no means lacking in originality. You may remember Hey Man which I featured as Today’s Soundtrack back in May, well one listen of that and I was hooked.

Growing Pains has been a mainstay on my iPod for a while now, so naturally I had high hopes for its followup Nature Nurture, which was released last month. It had a lot to live up to and honestly on first listen I wasn’t sure it quite cut the mustard. (Trust me that is no insult, it just means it was hovering somewhere around ‘brilliant’ rather than ‘genius’ in my mind). But turns out it just needed a few more listens and now I’m obsessed.

As if the outstanding music isn’t enough, you have to love a band who are selling vinyl and cassettes at their merch table. These guys understand presentation and I’m a sucker for that kind of attention to detail.

So back to the gig. The Hope is a tiny venue in Brighton, in fact the word venue is a rather grandiose way to describe a room above a bar. It was dark, cramped and about 100 degrees – the kind of gig where even propped up against the bar there is only a handful of people between you and the band. You might as well be on stage with them.

The result was an hour and a half of pure unadulterated Dinosaur Pile-Up. A passionate performance that almost made you forget that you were sweating pure beer and had been forced to switch to pints of water – a performance that blew not one but two amps!

The crowd was a sea of topless sweaty guys, the staff was standing on the bar shouting at guys hanging from the lighting rig one minute then moshing with them the next, and regardless of technical difficulties and a crazy audience (largely made up of the support bands I believe) they kept playing like pros.

As you know I’m not a fan of huge venues, and after a few O2 experiences, Brixton Academy seems decidedly cosy, but for once it was nice to re-live the teenage years and see a band play a venue the size of my living room and really give it their all.

I didn’t just see Dinosaur Pile-Up last week, I quite literally lived and breathed them. When we finally pushed our way outside we were sweaty and bruised but grinning like idiots. My god they kicked our arse. And you can call me sadistic all you want, but I loved it.

www.dinosaurpileup.com

@DINOSAURPILEUP

Ps. We caught some of the support from local band Tigercub and they were fantastic! Well worth checking out. @_TiGERCUB