There are things that unsigned bands need to do in order to get noticed. This is Manchester, you are only ever three feet away from a band, or a band night. There's a lot of it about, which is why it's one of the best cities in the world. But it does mean that bands need to do something a little bit impressive to be head and shoulders above the rest. Four bands on a bill, each wanting to be the one the crowd check out on Myspace the moment they get home.
Neo Tokyo Is About To Explode have definitely given this some thought, and at times, it shows. Throughout the set there are moments of rock-star posturing, and little bits of showmanship. They've been observing their big rock stars. At first this looks like it might be to the detriment of the music, with a poor opening couple of songs ('My Little Victory' lacks a vocal performance). You get the idea; big, complex, dirty rock songs, but at first it doesn't have the edge. But something clicks around the obvious single of the future 'Slackjaw,' and the mood changes.
The lead singer starts to interact with the crowd and it's well received. He seems to find his voice as well and the vocals improve with each song. From the feigned indifference of the beginning of the set, it's impressive to see a room of people won over, which is a rarity at these evenings. It's often the case that the people in attendance are there to support their mates and they couldn't really give a fuck about anyone else who is playing, but you can genuinely sense the growing interest as the songs roll on.
As a set, these songs are the sound of early Lost Prophets and Funeral For A Friend, British rock with it's mind firmly on the other side of the Atlantic. But alongside this are many different ideas packed into each song – they hold all the conventions of a big metal band, but you get the impression that there is going to be much more to them in the future.
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They need to look to 'Drowning In The Shallow End' when they consider where they take their sound. This is introduced as Future of the Left inspired, and it's a good effort. Perhaps if they were to look to their British influences a little more, the mix might become something wholly unique. As it is, there is a lot of potential there, and the showmanship has certainly shone tonight. The genre itself is not my sort of thing at all, but I walked away seeing the appeal of it. They seemed to be enjoying themselves and they seemed keen to put on a show; they're making an effort, which is a good way to pacify your hard-nosed music fan.
'Weapons Aside' is a suitably epic finish, rather chaotic and loud towards the end – organised mayhem, you would imagine. The bassist perhaps shouldn't have simulated smashing his equipment; there's something distinctly un-rock and roll about not actually trashing the joint. But over the course of the set, NTIATE have managed to earn the enthusiasm of an originally very disinterested crowd; which means they've won the battle, right?
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