So last week was a pretty busy week for me. Firstly, there was paintballing with some friends from work, which was awesome, plus I found paintballs don't actually hurt that much. Oh, and our team won! Then we went on a day trip to Thorpe Park on Wednesday, which was a fantastic day out. I'm deffinitely going there again (soon, I hope), especially for Saw the Ride! Finally, last Thursday, I went to Oxford with some close friends to see one of my favourite bands; The Birthday Massacre.
For those of you that don't know, The Birthday Massacre are an industrial synthrock band, based in Toronto Canada. Thier style is a blend of heavy guitars, euphoric melodies, 80's style industrial with electronic/synth backings that have a strange fairy tale feel to them. Infact, saying thier music is like a twisted fairy tale is a perfect way to describe them, with a blend of sweet innocence and darker more sinister music. It's this blend of styles that gives them thier signature sound, a contrast which works in many strange but wonderful ways.
The Birthday Massacre - Oxford Academy. 09.07.2009
We spent the day looking round Oxford and taking photographs, though there wasn't that much to do, so we headed to the venue reasonably early. There was already a small que forming by the time we got there. After a bit of waiting, the doors opened at 7, and we were in. First complaint here was that the venue was too damn cold! Seriously, someone shouldn't have set the air conditioning so high. After 30 mins or so of Shivering (no pun intended), the first support act were up.
Adrenochrome were the first support of the night, and whilst thier style wasn't bad, they weren't that good. For a start, it was rather heavy and too in-your-face, a style that I feel really conflicts with The Birthday Massacre's sound. Whilst I am into this style of music, it's not what I was there for, plus they lacked variety. It felt like they were playing the same song for 30-45 minutes. They weren't terrible by any means, but they just felt too out of place.
Next up, Raggedy Angry. Thier set started off really promising, with them appearing on stage with crazy costumes, and a sound with heavy guitars, atmospheric synths and a dark vocal style. But once things got into full swing, it all went a tad too emo. Some tracks were alright, a crazy style of synthrock, reminding me a lot of Mindless Self Indulgence. It appeared that lead vocalist had took a few pages out of Jimmy Urine's book, with the zany way he was acting on stage. Covers of This is Halloween (from The Nightmare Before Christmas) and Gangster's Paradise were rather poor though.
After two mediocre support acts, things weren't looking good. A short wait later, and The Birthday Massacre burst onto stage, opening the set with Red Stars. As soon as they started playing, all worries were easily put to rest, as they put on a fantastically energetic show. They were clearly putting a lot of effort in to this (which wasn't really suprising, considering it was thier first UK show in two years.) Lead singer 'Chibi' acted in a way I never expected she would, marching onto stage, saying a cute "Hello!" to the audience, before proceeding to headbang and jump around like crazy. She's easily one of the most hyperactive lead singers I've ever seen live (which is not a bad thing!) Considering how dark thier music can be, her cute lively style actually worked extremely well, and added that extra layer of energy to thier performance. The overall sound was excellent too, the synths provided by keyboardist Owen and drum beats from Rhim never actually clashed, like with some synth bands, Bass from o.e wasn't overpowering and added a great rythmn, and guitaring from m.falcore and lead guitarist Rainbow was imaculate. If you'd closed your eyes, you could have sworn you were listening to the album, but expanded upon. Only once, did the music sound a bit off during thier set, and 'Chibi's' crazy antics with Rainbow led to him nearly falling over on stage, although the latter was quite hilarious. A blend of old and new tracks worked well, ending the set with an encore of Blue and Happy Birthday, a perfect ending to the night.
Overall, it was a pretty good, though if it wasn't for the support acts, it would have been perfect. The Birthday Massacre but on a fantastic show, and it was worth it for them alone! For a mere £8 ticket, this gig still felt like a steal.
My friends and I got some food from a chinese next door to the venue afterwards and came out to find the band talking to fans. Naturally, we ceased the opportunity and got some photographs, signatures and had a chat. I'm not meaning to brag here, I'd just like to thank them for being such great people, they really are such a nice group of people! With such a fantastic performance and them actually bothering to meet thier fans, it shows they geniunely care, which is something I really respect. I find these days that some bands don't put in that extra effort, so kudos to The Birthday Massacre!
Setlist (note: this is from another gig, but it's pretty much the same as the set they played in Oxford)
RED STARS
GOODNIGHT
FALLING DOWN
UNFAMILIAR
PLAY DEAD
WEEKEND
SHIVER
TO DIE FOR
LOVERS END
REMEMBER ME
VIOLET
VIDEO KID
LOOKING GLASS
I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW
WALKING WITH STRANGERS
----------------------------------------
BLUE
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Showing posts with label Academy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Academy. Show all posts
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Wednesday, 15 April 2009
Two for the price of one!
Bloody hell, I'm actually keeping my word and updating something for a change. The end is surely nigh. :P *Ahem* Yes, moving on...
Being as I've been to two gigs within the past week, I figured I'd review them both in one blog post. What a great way to celebrate the start of my blogging, eh? The first gig I present to you is The Prodigy...
The Prodigy - Birmingham NIA 09.04.2009
My mate and I only had seating tickets for this gig, being as it sold out phenominally fast, but I have to admit, it was still a fantastic view! A DJ, who's name unfortunately wasn't mentioned, did a pretty good job of mashing up tracks between acts, and certianly kept everyone entertained. Drum and bass mixes, 80's music and even a (quite bizzare) remix of Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the name" were just part of the mix. I also notcied the mixture of different cultures (if that's the right word) hanging around. Rockers, Trendys, Goths, etc were all there, getting along and not fighting for a change. The experience was quite surreal, but great.
First up, for support, was Dizzee Rascal. Now, I don't usually like the majority of rap/hip hop music because most of it involves the "bling bling", "hoes", "gonna shoot ya down" gangster rubbish. However, I was pleasantly suprised. There was none of that to be found in this set, it was actually quite vibarant, fun and, dare I say, enjoyable. Mr Rascal opened with his version of the Ting Ting's "That's Not My Name", which deffinitely improved a bland song, as well as being far greater than anything the talentless Ting Tings could ever do. He also pumped out hit tracks such as "Fix up Look Sharpe", "Flex", "Dance Wiv me", all with a thundering catchy bassline, as well as previewing new material from his upcoming album. The new tracks "Road Rage" and "Dirty Cash"sound fantastic, and certaunly flow well alongside Rascal's other songs. He got the crowd going with a shouting match (see which side could shout the loudest), and even freestyled, proving his talent to the masses. His set ended with his new single "Bonkers", which I'm sure will take the charts by storm once it's released. The bar was deffinitely raised quite high.
After an agonising wait, it was time for The Prodigy's set to start. Now, we all know The Prodigy have been going for a long while, so some might worry that they've simply lost thier edge. Those of you who think that can safely put those thoughts to rest, because The Prodigy absolutely dominated! Starting with "World's on fire" from thier latest album, Invaders Must die, The Prodigy rolled out hit after hit effortlessly inlcuding, "Breathe", "Firestarter" "Poison" and "Voodoo People", to name a few! These fit in prefectly with tracks from the new album, such as "Omen" and "Run With the Wolves", proving that bands can still keep thier old sound, whilst still pushing themselves forward to new heights. Keith Flint and MC Maxim Reality's vocals complimented the set prefectly, and sent the crowd on a mental raving rampage, urging thier "warriors to dance" throughout the set. The Encore was prefect, starting with "Invaders Must Die" and ending on "Out of Space". By the end of the gig, there wasn't a single person seating or not singing along. The atmosphere was simply astounding, and the raving intense. The Prodigy then left the stage for a final time, leaving nothing but the ruins of where the NIA once stood. There could have been a few more tracks played, and the set could have been a little longer (it only lasted around 1 hour 20mins), but that feels like nitpicking in what was a legendary night.
Setlist
Worlds on Fire
Their law
Breathe
Breathe (dub step)
No Good (Start the Dance)
Omen
Poison
Warriors Dance
Firestarter
Run with the Wolves
Voodoo People
Comanche
- - -
Omen Reprise
Invaders Must Die
Diesel Power
Smack My Bitch Up
Take Me to the Hospital
Out of Space
Deathstars - Birmingham Academy 2 14.04.2009
This'll be a much shorter review (promise!) I must say, I had high expectations for this gig. Even though I don't know Deathstars that well, I'm still a big fan of Industrial music. However, it was slightly dissapointing.
To start with, they couldn't have picked a worse type of support act if they tried. The two supporting bands, The Defiled and Marionette, simply did nothing for me. Appart from causing the scene/emo kids, who were blatnantly there just to see those two bands, creating a mosh pit. Big mistake. Especially at a more goth gig. My friends and I ended up having to evacuate to a safer place, further from the stage. We didn't hang around too long for these emo metal-wannabe bands, and just decided to stay outside in the enterance hall till Deathstars came on. We managed to run into some old friends though, which was cool.
Two shit support acts later, and Deathstars finally came on to the title track off thier new album "Night Electric Night". And, yes, they did certianly make up for the tripe that was on earlier. They got the crowd headbanging and throwing thier fists into the air, it was deffinitely a lot of fun, and the atmosphere changed dramatically for the better. They blasted out newer songs like "Death Dies Hard" and "Mark of the Gun" alongside classics such as "Trinity Fields", "Tounges" and "Cyanide". Lead singer Andreas "Whiplasher Bernadotte" Bergh kept the crowd going with chatter on thier time in the country, or as they called it "small island", which led to song intros. The band also pumped up the crowd with the usual hand clapping, getting the crowd to sing along, etc. They performed well, and set a dark, yet fantastic tone, but it felt like there was something missing. Again, (and this'll probably come up a lot, as my opinion on gig lengths quite is baised) the set was a tad short. They deffintely should have played more tracks off thier first album Synthetic Generation too. However, thier performance was still great, and I'd still recommend them live. They just need to add a few more classics to get to the stage of excellence.
Being as I've been to two gigs within the past week, I figured I'd review them both in one blog post. What a great way to celebrate the start of my blogging, eh? The first gig I present to you is The Prodigy...
The Prodigy - Birmingham NIA 09.04.2009
My mate and I only had seating tickets for this gig, being as it sold out phenominally fast, but I have to admit, it was still a fantastic view! A DJ, who's name unfortunately wasn't mentioned, did a pretty good job of mashing up tracks between acts, and certianly kept everyone entertained. Drum and bass mixes, 80's music and even a (quite bizzare) remix of Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the name" were just part of the mix. I also notcied the mixture of different cultures (if that's the right word) hanging around. Rockers, Trendys, Goths, etc were all there, getting along and not fighting for a change. The experience was quite surreal, but great.
First up, for support, was Dizzee Rascal. Now, I don't usually like the majority of rap/hip hop music because most of it involves the "bling bling", "hoes", "gonna shoot ya down" gangster rubbish. However, I was pleasantly suprised. There was none of that to be found in this set, it was actually quite vibarant, fun and, dare I say, enjoyable. Mr Rascal opened with his version of the Ting Ting's "That's Not My Name", which deffinitely improved a bland song, as well as being far greater than anything the talentless Ting Tings could ever do. He also pumped out hit tracks such as "Fix up Look Sharpe", "Flex", "Dance Wiv me", all with a thundering catchy bassline, as well as previewing new material from his upcoming album. The new tracks "Road Rage" and "Dirty Cash"sound fantastic, and certaunly flow well alongside Rascal's other songs. He got the crowd going with a shouting match (see which side could shout the loudest), and even freestyled, proving his talent to the masses. His set ended with his new single "Bonkers", which I'm sure will take the charts by storm once it's released. The bar was deffinitely raised quite high.
After an agonising wait, it was time for The Prodigy's set to start. Now, we all know The Prodigy have been going for a long while, so some might worry that they've simply lost thier edge. Those of you who think that can safely put those thoughts to rest, because The Prodigy absolutely dominated! Starting with "World's on fire" from thier latest album, Invaders Must die, The Prodigy rolled out hit after hit effortlessly inlcuding, "Breathe", "Firestarter" "Poison" and "Voodoo People", to name a few! These fit in prefectly with tracks from the new album, such as "Omen" and "Run With the Wolves", proving that bands can still keep thier old sound, whilst still pushing themselves forward to new heights. Keith Flint and MC Maxim Reality's vocals complimented the set prefectly, and sent the crowd on a mental raving rampage, urging thier "warriors to dance" throughout the set. The Encore was prefect, starting with "Invaders Must Die" and ending on "Out of Space". By the end of the gig, there wasn't a single person seating or not singing along. The atmosphere was simply astounding, and the raving intense. The Prodigy then left the stage for a final time, leaving nothing but the ruins of where the NIA once stood. There could have been a few more tracks played, and the set could have been a little longer (it only lasted around 1 hour 20mins), but that feels like nitpicking in what was a legendary night.
Setlist
Worlds on Fire
Their law
Breathe
Breathe (dub step)
No Good (Start the Dance)
Omen
Poison
Warriors Dance
Firestarter
Run with the Wolves
Voodoo People
Comanche
- - -
Omen Reprise
Invaders Must Die
Diesel Power
Smack My Bitch Up
Take Me to the Hospital
Out of Space
Deathstars - Birmingham Academy 2 14.04.2009
This'll be a much shorter review (promise!) I must say, I had high expectations for this gig. Even though I don't know Deathstars that well, I'm still a big fan of Industrial music. However, it was slightly dissapointing.
To start with, they couldn't have picked a worse type of support act if they tried. The two supporting bands, The Defiled and Marionette, simply did nothing for me. Appart from causing the scene/emo kids, who were blatnantly there just to see those two bands, creating a mosh pit. Big mistake. Especially at a more goth gig. My friends and I ended up having to evacuate to a safer place, further from the stage. We didn't hang around too long for these emo metal-wannabe bands, and just decided to stay outside in the enterance hall till Deathstars came on. We managed to run into some old friends though, which was cool.
Two shit support acts later, and Deathstars finally came on to the title track off thier new album "Night Electric Night". And, yes, they did certianly make up for the tripe that was on earlier. They got the crowd headbanging and throwing thier fists into the air, it was deffinitely a lot of fun, and the atmosphere changed dramatically for the better. They blasted out newer songs like "Death Dies Hard" and "Mark of the Gun" alongside classics such as "Trinity Fields", "Tounges" and "Cyanide". Lead singer Andreas "Whiplasher Bernadotte" Bergh kept the crowd going with chatter on thier time in the country, or as they called it "small island", which led to song intros. The band also pumped up the crowd with the usual hand clapping, getting the crowd to sing along, etc. They performed well, and set a dark, yet fantastic tone, but it felt like there was something missing. Again, (and this'll probably come up a lot, as my opinion on gig lengths quite is baised) the set was a tad short. They deffintely should have played more tracks off thier first album Synthetic Generation too. However, thier performance was still great, and I'd still recommend them live. They just need to add a few more classics to get to the stage of excellence.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)