Live Review

INME – MANCHESTER ACADEMY THREE

• 20th Sep 2007

As a Man City fan, the phase “loyalty has its rewards in the end” has become a motto to get you through the bad times. Unfortunately, the fans who eagerly packed into venues four times the size of Manchester’s arguably most inviting and sound enhancing venue that is the Academy Three, must also be Manchester United fans. Loyalty in the UK doesn’t seem to stretch to earnest alternative acts. Tonight, the 2/3rds full crowd squeezes together towards the front to make it look like there’s more than 250 here and they produce enthusiastic noises to make it sound like it’s 2003 again. With the effect that ‘Overgrown Eden’, seems to be still fresh in the ear, the album that started it off and stuck the middle finger up at pompous rock and metal swerving protagonists like The Used, making you proud to be British. For a brief moment that is, but through the muggy Monday night atmosphere try all they might, INME don’t quite produce the force and compelling viewing of old.

Lead man Dave Macpherson, as ever throws everything including the kitchen sink into his live vocals and the bold decision to open with a song from new album ‘Daydream Anonymous’ seems to pay off, this is done in the form of the rugged, rock solid metal riff concealing ‘Myths And Photographs’. It does show that robustness is not a distant memory and the sorrowful depth of their lyrics still kicks out like Cantona. However, it is more one dimensional than the INME that the loyal kids present have grown to love and adore. The creaks appear in the new material early on, with the yearning, watered down ‘Far-Reaching’ oozing a little too much sap, despite the gnarly and grizzly spasms that fuel frenzied pit action. ‘White Butterfly’ is the first of the classic albums, despite only being released in 2005, to get an airing and obviously the bass bulleting, ‘Closer’ is a popular choice. The tempo controlling, drum hits of Si Taylor take on new life in this venue that probably used to be the size of their tour bus, in the golden days when they’d tour with the likes of Nickelback, Staind and The Deftones. ‘7 Weeks’ provides a rumbling rock touch that comes closest to resurrecting INME’s rough edge and heart. The crowd surfing frenzy during this bolt from 2005, leads to Macpherson ticking off its participants. It’s all well and good to take the healthy high ground, but how many more people can they threaten to alienate, given the dwindling crowds on each visit to this rock city?

Naturally, tracks from the gigantic hook laden, ‘Overgrown Eden’ album of the glory days, such as ‘Wounds’ and the Morrissey lyrics replicating ‘Lava Light’ are lapped up, but they stand out for a potency and sharpness that the rest of the material tends to fall short of. Given the late stage time and even later arrival time, the range of the set suffered and it was mainly blazing offerings that made for an energetic and enthusiastic crowd, but a largely one dimensional feel.

“INME are back!”

Announces Ferguson, probably in reference to their new studio album, but when will the heart-on-sleeve and ranging tendencies follow them back to the live setting?