On the day their eighth studio album was released FEEDER played the relatively intimate Sheffield Leadmill, and the place was packed. And I mean fire-safety fearing packed. To add to the sense of tension, the audience was unaware of which version of Feeder they’d be seeing. Feeder can boast of some serious chart success but they have also performed under different aliases in the past to unapologetically air new material. As lead singer Grant Nicholas arrived on stage in a smart jacket and slicked back hair, what was obvious was that they clearly weren’t here to mess around.
The fact that they kept the majority of the crowd on their side during a gig where exactly half of the material had been in the public consciousness for less than twenty four hours is undeniably impressive. Part of the reason must be due to just how polished their new stuff already seems on stage. The songs from 'Generation Freakshow' sound amongst the most confident Nicholas has ever penned and the opening gambit of two newies ('Tiny Minds' and 'Oh My') showcased the kind of unabashedly brilliant punk-pop songs that Weezer stopped writing about ten years ago.
With Nicholas’s flawless vocals (an acoustic rendition of new single 'Children of the Sun' showcased how much of an underrated singer he really is) and extra colour added through keyboards, the new tracks appeared as if the band had been playing them for years. With the guys on stage this assured, the audience couldn’t help but follow. Not that Feeder could ever be accused of arrogance towards their faithful fans. Nicholas possesses an infectious, approachable attitude and he spent the gig chattily explaining stories behind the relatively unknown material. His genuine delight at asking the crowd if they had heard the new album and having his sight directed towards a screaming contingent of hardcore followers at the front was palpable.
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But Feeder aren’t all about the nice approach. Commenting on how quiet a lot of the crowd were at the start of the gig, Feeder refused to sneak in any impromptu crowd pleasers to kick start the adrenaline, instead they continued on the course they had set. When some restless punters started belting out the guitar riff to huge hit 'Just A Day', the perverse pleasure Nicholas took in announcing the next song would be the new 'Idaho' spoke volumes. Afterwards when the riff attempted to start up again it was drowned out by the rest of the crowd chanting the band’s name. The band had definitely won.
Returning for the encore, with burden of needing to play the greatest hits removed (Nicholas previously admitted he found the idea “boring”) and the success of airing their latest material, a double weight had obviously been lifted from the band. With a much looser attitude they admitted they hadn’t quite worked out the ending of the show before ripping through 'Buck Rogers' (introduced superbly as “that song from the Lucozade ad”) and the inevitably monstrous 'Just A Day.' With the crowd packed in as tightly as they were, pogo-ing was unavoidable as far back as the mixing desk.
With sweat dripping from the ceiling, you were left with a sense of a band in complete control of their past and their future. Very refreshing seeing as how many guitar bands seem comfortable remaining on the nostalgia circuit nowadays.
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