Laruso were the first act on, who had the hard task of trying to warm up a less than enthusiastic audience. When they hopped on stage, the venue half empty, lead vocalist Liv tried as hard as he could to get them to "dance like fucking Patrick Swayze", but to no avail. The most he could muster up was subdued moshing and headbanging to songs like 'Overrated, '1998' (their latest single) and 'Cause and Effect' from the album 'Bring It On'. A gaggle of childish, swooning girls did try to grab Liv at numerous points when he stood on the crowd barrier to sing, but that was about as energetic as it got!
Strangely enough, In Case Of Fire's latest single, 'Enemies', was receiving Radio 1 airplay on my way to the gig, so I was really looking forward to finding out what this up and coming alternative rock band were all about! From the outset it was obvious that In Case of Fire (Steve and Colin Robinson and Mark Williamson from Northern Ireland) where there to play music and nothing else. Rather than focusing on warming up the crowd for Fightstar, they were totally dedicated to performing songs from their forthcoming album 'Align the Planets', which is out on 11th May 2009.
As they showcased tracks like 'Do What I Say', 'Enemies', and 'The Cleansing', it was evident that they had spent years developing their sound, writing thought provoking lyrics and polishing their musical talent. Lead vocalist Steve had an amazing vocal range too. The energy of their short set was definitely saved for the last song 'Plan A'. It's difficult to say what the audience thought, as they still seemed rather subdued, but I think these are definitely a band to watch out for in forthcoming months. If you love Muse and Queens Of The Stone Age, you'll find it easy to like these too!
Charlie's Angels (the young females at the front of the crowd that were there to see Fightstar's Charlie Simpson of former Busted fame) whipped themselves up into a frenzy of excitement from this moment on. Hoards of young teenage boys with braces, and metal loving men and women, also began to plant themselves around the stage and finally pack out the venue. I was surprised to learn that only 600 tickets had been sold, but at least that meant I got a good vantage point!
The entire Fightstar band (Alex Westway, Dan Haigh and Omar Abidi) played an explosive intro before Charlie hit the stage shouting the usual "Hello Birmingham!" But it was his presence, and Fightstar's loud, reverberating and inspirational performance that lit up the venue and electrified the audience. Right from the outset the crowd began to chant every word to every track on the set list, which was a perfect mix of songs from their three albums 'Grand Unification', 'One Day Son This Will All Be Yours', and brand new 'Be Human'.
Whether they played 'Colours Bleed to Red', 'Never Change' or 'Palhanuik's Laughter', every single person in the room sang their hearts out, raised their arms above their head, clapped furiously, moshed and went wild. Even the young girls were crowdsurfing! I've never experienced such energy, and even Charlie admitted that, "you guys are fucking awesome." He stated that the Brum lot were, "the best crowd of the tour so far." Cliché you might think, but as they were all so enraptured and so wild, I truly think he meant it!
What really rocked the Birmingham O2 Academy 2 that night were blistering songs like 'The English Way', 'Mercury Summer', and 'War Machine'. I found myself staring open mouthed on numerous occasions, much to the hilarious delight of my partner who knows I have an aversion to this genre of music.
The set ended just as soon as it had begun with 'Floods One Day', but Fightstar were back soon enough with an encore that included 'Amethyst'. The fans chanted again and again for "Mono, Mono, Mono" but they had to settle for 'Death Car', which is a huge hit anyway. When it was all over, so many members of the audience were saying how amazing the set list was and that it was the best Fightstar gig they had been to. It may have been my first, but surprisingly I dont think it will be my last!
What was clear from new songs like 'The English Way' and 'Mercury Summer' was that 'Be Human' is a far more experimentational album than previous. Interlaced with heavy metal / rock are moments of what Charlie calls "rock opera", that makes songs like 'War Machine' massive and anthemic, almost like the opening track for a blockbuster action movie. It's no wonder that 'Be Human' is Fightstar's highest charting album to date.
article by: Tricia Williams
photos by: Michelle Owen
published: 30/04/2009 09:35
FUTURE GIGS
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