Review: Eastpak Antidote Tour

I. GHOST OF A THOUSANDI'd love to grace you with a review that sung the praises of this band, and whole-heartedly agreed with Kerrang (who gave them 5 K's on their live performance). Unfortunately, I can't.

Firstly, because I got horribly lost on the mean streets of Birmingham, and missed a large portion of their performance. Luckily, one of the Street Team found me and escorted me and some other kids to the O2 Arena- post-hardcore fans aren't great with directions, it seems.
Secondly, what I saw sounded reasonable- the band attacked the stage with a suitable amount of gusto, and the sound they made was pleasing, if a little shambolic in places. But that's as far as it went- they haven't quite found that fine line between unbridled rage and musical finesse. I do have high hopes for their future, mind.

II. FOUR YEAR STRONGAs this motley crew of big, beardy types descend upon the stage, you think you know what to expect. Screaming (lots of it), raging guitar solos and lyrics that can go from nought to riot in sixty seconds. Well, you'd be wrong.
Four Year Strong have a strange yet enchanting blend of pop punk and hardcore that you'd never expect from such hairy chunks of masculinity. And from the general nods of approval emanating form the slightly nonplussed audience, it was a sound they were working. This is definitely a band I'll be checking out again soon.

III. ANTI-FLAGAppearances were once again deceptive with Anti-Flag- for such weedy looking dudes, they sure are furious about something.
You always know what you're going to get with Anti-Flag- angry, political tracks- and with tracks such as 'Turncoat' and 'The Press Corpse', they didn't disappoint in that respect. The music itself has alot to be desired- nothing spectacular, nothing amiss- but what I found most off-putting was their rapport with the crowd. They stressed- between every single bloody song- how they were all about peace and love, and how they would remember this night for the rest of their lives, and how stupid the government was, and how they wanted everyone to go in the circle pit. Seriously, give it a rest.
They did get a bunch of people on stage, which I thought was quite nice of them, but I know there were those who'd argue they'd paid to see Anti-Flag, not to see some kids get up on stage and sing Anti-Flag. Matter of taste, I suppose.
Reference must of course be made to their drummer, who is up there with the scariest dudes to ever have lived- he just looks so demented. He has that crazy look in his eyes- the look that says 'I've definitely worn a straight jacket at some point in my life'. Yikes.

IV. ALEXISONFIREThe main event- and I wasn't disappointed.
I was a little confused when they only set up three stands- I thought there were five guys in Alexisonfire? Of course, my naïveté was soon put right- the fourth guy up front, bassist Chris Steele, had no stand, due to the fact he couldn't stand still for more than two seconds. He bounded around stage in a state of insanity for the entire performance, in a whirlwind of his own sweat and saliva. He went absolutely mental, and so did the crowd- I must admit I was happily dragged into the furore, pulling shapes like I was demented- even being slammed into the railings by a tidal wave of Dallas Green fan girls didn't dull my appetite for frenzy.
This pandemonium was matched by the rest of band, who not only managed to command the stage with manic prowess, but also deliver soaring, clear vocals, and guitar playing to a standard I have yet to see matched in a live performance.

All in all, pretty damn awesome. I you're considering going to this concert, you should definitely pick up a ticket: you won't regret it.

MP3: Alexisonfire- This Could be Anywhere in the World

Photo of Alexisonfire courtesy of martybell on deviantART