The Audition

My initial thought when I heard that The Audition were playing a basement of a hotel in London was “What?”. I’ve been to some obscure venues in my time, but then a kind friend informed me that The Tavistock Hotel basement had been converted into a semi-kind of bowling alley, and then I have to admit the feeling of doubt kicked in even more.

However, fears were pushed aside the moment I walked through the door and was instantly hit by the vibe and originality of the venue. A basement indeed, but it certainly did not feel like one with a large bar, pool tables, comfy sofas and a small intimate stage set away from the bowling alley for bands to play. The atmosphere was catastrophic, noise pumped from every throbbing corner of the room. The bar was rammed and the opportunity to bowl was there, except by this point I felt too much beer had been flowing for anyone to play with any hint of expertise.

Whilst the venue was impressive, the crowd was a wet dream for myspace fans. Yes, it was the attack of those haircuts, stripy jumpers and inwardly turned feet. It was a “I’m pretty enough to be here” gig. And if there’s anything I hate, it’s attending a gig and instantly feeling like a prat for leaving my hairspray at home.

However, The Audition were quick to dispel any ideas of favouritism or cliques. The band themselves are a mish mash of sorts, and this is portrayed in their image. Bounding onto the stage with energy, (which was minus any barriers or security, causing one reviewer several bruises the next day) Danny and his band were enthusiastic to thank and support every single one of us for joining them on their one off headline show. Launching straight into the hits from their acclaimed album “Controversy loves Company”, I was reminded of the enjoyment of seeing a talented band in a small venue with a good sound set up.

Hits included ‘Don’t be so hard’, ‘Dancehalls turn to ghost towns’, ‘You’ve made us conscious’ and a crowd pleaser of ‘Approach the bench’ thrown into the middle to mix up the crowd. A new track was also played, for promise of further more material and another album later this year. Vocalist Danny Stevens is an energetic frontman and feeds off the aura from his fellow band mates, giving the gig that intimate and infectious feeling. Although I had no choice, I couldn’t help but dance around and scream into the microphone whenever it was thrown our way.

So a small venue with a dedicated fan following equals a very enjoyable gig. Practically the whole album was played, a full forty minutes of emo-tastic moshing occurred and there was not a dry forehead left after the stage had cleared. The Audition could be really big on the emo scene if they keep this level of dedication up. And with a slot on the up coming Give it a name tour, I’m sure they will.

FUTURE GIGS

sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.