Post by Amused To Death on May 18, 2006 4:19:22 GMT -5
Funeral For a Friend - Shepherds Bush Empire. 16th May
Supported by Johnny Truant, Fightstar
Public Transport. It's known for being a bit unreliable, and never being there when you want it. This occasion it meant that i missed out on seeing Johnny Truant's albeit short supporting slot, which came as a shame as i was quite looking forward to hearing them, but from word of mouth they impressed the increasing crowd at the Empire.
The time came for Fightstar to try to show what the hype was about. They were out on a mission - this re-sheduled tour (Due to Funeral For a Friend's Matt Davies having Lyringitis in February) mean that they have the touring practice to prepare for their own headlining tour later this year. Beset by technical problems throughout their set, they failed to make many new fans, though the commited group that came just for them were thrilled to see their better songs such as 'Paint Your Target' and 'Lost Like Tears In Rain' played with all the dedication and power that they'd expect. The only downside was that it all seemed a bit, well, forced. The interaction inbetween songs only seemed to be for promotion of their new album, or tour...nothing showing how far they've come as a band in the past 12 months. With Charlie Simpson, they've got a frontman that seems at times, a bit wooden, and reluctant. They've got a good future, if they can just find that little spark of originality, and really make the step up. They're off to crack America soon, let's hope they come back the better.
I'm an impatient fan. If the band takes ages to get on stage, or the roadies take their time setting things up, i get a bit annoyed. Funeral For a Friend would have to make me feel like we've been waiting for something special. My God did they do just that. This is a band on tour that is at the height of their powers. Say what you like about the songs, but as a live act they are explosive. Every song had the crowd pretty much drowning out the band, and vocalist Matt Davies and bassist Gareth Davies making it feel like, well a party. Ever had that feeling rush through your body when you know that you're seeing a band play so well, that you don't want it to end? well FFaF didn't want to end ether, as they joked that they'd be happy to play "everything we knew until we passed out through exhaustion".
They showed that they've not let fame get to them, saying they're not going to do an encore, as "they don't really feel like we're that kind of band", joked Davies. It was the day of their drum tech's birthday, and as a mark of respect, they reunited him with his daughter, as tour demands meant he missed previous celebrations. A nice touch i thought. On the subject of being touched (no puns here people), the band were clearly moved by the audience's response to a challenge they set; the band would begin singing 'History', one of the standout songs from their latest "Hours" album, and the crowd would sing the last choruses. To hear everyone do this was absolutely amazing, and showed just how much the fans love this welsh five-piece.
They pulled all the big songs out for this occasion, the circle pit startng 'Red Is The New Black', crowd favourites 'Juneau', and '10:45 Amsterdam Conversations' and the awesome show finisher 'Escape Artists Never Die'. This was the performance of a band with an already strong back catalogue, and the ability to pull each song off in the live venue, with the time to stop and say a big "f**k yeah" to Pot Noodles.
It's the last we'll see of the band until next year; they're off to the studio to recored album number 3. They've signed off this leg of their tour leaving me, and the rest of the crowd, leaving feeling that they've witnessed something special. See you in 2007 guys.
Supported by Johnny Truant, Fightstar
Public Transport. It's known for being a bit unreliable, and never being there when you want it. This occasion it meant that i missed out on seeing Johnny Truant's albeit short supporting slot, which came as a shame as i was quite looking forward to hearing them, but from word of mouth they impressed the increasing crowd at the Empire.
The time came for Fightstar to try to show what the hype was about. They were out on a mission - this re-sheduled tour (Due to Funeral For a Friend's Matt Davies having Lyringitis in February) mean that they have the touring practice to prepare for their own headlining tour later this year. Beset by technical problems throughout their set, they failed to make many new fans, though the commited group that came just for them were thrilled to see their better songs such as 'Paint Your Target' and 'Lost Like Tears In Rain' played with all the dedication and power that they'd expect. The only downside was that it all seemed a bit, well, forced. The interaction inbetween songs only seemed to be for promotion of their new album, or tour...nothing showing how far they've come as a band in the past 12 months. With Charlie Simpson, they've got a frontman that seems at times, a bit wooden, and reluctant. They've got a good future, if they can just find that little spark of originality, and really make the step up. They're off to crack America soon, let's hope they come back the better.
I'm an impatient fan. If the band takes ages to get on stage, or the roadies take their time setting things up, i get a bit annoyed. Funeral For a Friend would have to make me feel like we've been waiting for something special. My God did they do just that. This is a band on tour that is at the height of their powers. Say what you like about the songs, but as a live act they are explosive. Every song had the crowd pretty much drowning out the band, and vocalist Matt Davies and bassist Gareth Davies making it feel like, well a party. Ever had that feeling rush through your body when you know that you're seeing a band play so well, that you don't want it to end? well FFaF didn't want to end ether, as they joked that they'd be happy to play "everything we knew until we passed out through exhaustion".
They showed that they've not let fame get to them, saying they're not going to do an encore, as "they don't really feel like we're that kind of band", joked Davies. It was the day of their drum tech's birthday, and as a mark of respect, they reunited him with his daughter, as tour demands meant he missed previous celebrations. A nice touch i thought. On the subject of being touched (no puns here people), the band were clearly moved by the audience's response to a challenge they set; the band would begin singing 'History', one of the standout songs from their latest "Hours" album, and the crowd would sing the last choruses. To hear everyone do this was absolutely amazing, and showed just how much the fans love this welsh five-piece.
They pulled all the big songs out for this occasion, the circle pit startng 'Red Is The New Black', crowd favourites 'Juneau', and '10:45 Amsterdam Conversations' and the awesome show finisher 'Escape Artists Never Die'. This was the performance of a band with an already strong back catalogue, and the ability to pull each song off in the live venue, with the time to stop and say a big "f**k yeah" to Pot Noodles.
It's the last we'll see of the band until next year; they're off to the studio to recored album number 3. They've signed off this leg of their tour leaving me, and the rest of the crowd, leaving feeling that they've witnessed something special. See you in 2007 guys.