A night of tantalising US rock prospects awaits Manchester this evening, with three very different potentially blistering acts, sharing only a love of decibels with each other.
“If you give us energy, we’ll give you energy back,” suggests the lead singer of quite camp punk newcomers SO SO GLOS, who kick off proceedings tonight. These kinds of pleas always smack a little of desperation and it’s my belief that an audience responds to what they see. It’s an introduction to many of us tonight, and being first on to a filling room, there’s only so much you can expect. Theirs is an alright sound, nothing amazingly discernable, but it’s high energy and good natured. They came for adulation and left disappointed with little more than a mild interest in the room. We prefer it if you don’t have to beg, and many were enjoying themselves even if they weren’t one of the two people pogoing throughout the set.
There’s always something impressive about a duo doing the work of a full band, and when the noise they create is that of a pulsating rock monster, it’s all the more remarkable. Sacramento’s MC RUT are winning plaudits in this country at the moment, doing the full metal effect between the two of them and keeping things interesting. There are many strong melodies in this set, which range from tender romance to ferocious screams. There’s nothing formulaic about their set, which ends all too soon. Great musicians without being too flashy, this is the right venue for them. They fill the room admirably, and it’s always a thrill when the vocals don’t descend into a constipated whine.
Special mention to drummer Sean Stockham who shares some of the vocal duties whilst not missing a single cymbal crash; a feat which I regard as akin to patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time. Fascinatingly, the two barely interact with each other throughout, but you can tell that they know each other musically inside out. There’s an EP out in May which is already top of my wish-list. To make an impression on ears often closed to the louder things in life is my personal mark of their success.
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… AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD are clearly still a spectacle after all these years. There was a time when they were the darlings of the alternative world – a metal band with the intricacies and musicianship to please more than the Kerrang crowd; a band who could expect to fill more the Manchester Academy 3. That they’re here alone is something to celebrate, with recent turbulence firmly placing question marks over their future. That they’re here with a clutch of storming new songs from 2009 release ‘The Century of Self’ is even more remarkable.
A combination of new potential favourites and historical crowd pleasers make up the set, which remains varied and engaging throughout. It’s metal with a mind, leaping from screaming walls of noise to stunning soundscapes, and whilst the crowd on the whole seem too old to mosh, there is still clearly a lot of love in the room. So the band are awesome, the audience enthusiastic – what exactly is wrong?
The venue, unfortunately. One of my personal favourites in Manchester, it struggles to contain the magnitude of …Trail of Dead. It’s a small stage that disguises the impact of having two drummers, and standing towards the back, there’s a constant sense of disengagement – like being at a festival and having the best bits of your favourite band swept away by the wind before the sound reaches you. The keyboard is also anonymous throughout. Brilliant, but muted – I can only hope their return will yield a bigger venue that can begin to do them justice.
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