Live Review

Kerrang Tour – Liverpool Carling Academy.

• 17th Feb 2009

Tonight’s gig resides in the jaws of defeat if the fans outside are to believed. A group of despondent Bring me the horizon followers have gathered round a sign at the entrance that reads: “Due to illness, Bring me the horizon will not be performing tonight”. Some fans throw hands in the air and are particularly vocal about not even going in to see the others bands, this is of course completely ridiculous.

Openers In case of fire, seem to have an even harder challenge given the crowds slightly jaded vibe and the fact that many have heard very little from one of Northern Irelands finest new bands. As they begin several members of the crowd regale the band with the football chant ‘Who are ya?’

The doubters are soon laid to rest as ICOF play a solid, powerful and telling set, telling in the sense that it both gradates the band into playing in larger venues but also allows room for them to continue their growth sonically.

Previously Black Tide played to an indifferent crowd supporting Within temptation at the smaller Barfly and after touring some larger venues and undoubtedly gaining some experience along the way there is a genuine air that their set will move a crowd currently simmering and just waiting to explode.

‘Light from above‘was such well produced and effective album that playing it live and giving that crystal clear clarity would have been impossible-instead Black tide take the vibe of each song and concentrate on putting on a real metal show, nodding to the 80’s metal they have spawned from but adding an energy and abandon a reunion tour could possibly never attain.

Creating some almost instant classics in ‘Shockwave’ and ‘Shout’ Black Tide pull the crowd in, they could have played another 20 minutes and still been just as welcome; creating that 360 of energy with the crowd that makes them so infectious and clear favourites to go on to much bigger things.

Still something of an enigma, in the sense front-man Kyo rarely gives interviews and even talks even less In Dir en grey have created either by design or naturally a massive amount of trepidation.

It’s well deserved as they take to stage to massive slabs of industrial sounds and Kyo positions himself atop a monitor, which he will remain for the duration of the set; endlessly moving, twitching and squirming but at all times remaining engaging- fascinating.

It’s a dark paint mix with Rammstein and Die krupp’s all being involved, and it’s difficult to imagine that Dir in grey have lightened their material more than earlier efforts as it’s still bleak and almost without hope.

What raises their game and allows the material from ‘Uroboros’ to be acceptable is the delivery, Dir en grey have metered the set perfectly and are completely comfortable with the songs, Kyo ends his movements bang on with the culmination of the song, it’s clear they see their music as an art form and will do anything to subvert it.

Where Korn moved slightly away from performance art, Dir en grey have embraced it a little more and seem altogether more composed in their delivery.

Dir en grey will almost certainly play Download, and it’s not exactly a struggle to see them open the main stage-and then destroy it.

Jimmy Urine is one of the best examples of a front-man around today, although he may prefer the term ‘Ringmaster’ there are only four people in Mindless self indulgence, but he acts like three or four alone, not just physically-although he moves from one stage to the other like a ballerina, all albeit one on mushrooms-but mentally, at times berating the crowd for being too young, the next minute holding up his own imperfections.

It’s all done with the best sincerity sometimes serious, sometimes insane and beautifully mixing the two into a live show that’s all things funny, insane, mesmerizing but above all else rocking.

All the tinsel, hairspray and make-up couldn’t hide poor music and thankfully MSI have a set full of tunes to compliment their visual flair.

Its Pop will eat itself with punk and metal electro thrashing around inside all placed on a tool bench and chopped up, reinvented and unleashed on the crowd, and just eats it up.

The crowd remains in the palm of Jimmy’s hand throughout and at the climax, after the lights have gone up he stays around endlessly signing everything that moves then hopping the barricade and bringing the throng with him to the Relentless stand for even more photos.

MSI represent a band in touch with their fans, completely devoted to giving them a show and totally able to do so, tonight is another in a string of Kerrang tour dates that prove the diversity in heavy music and the connection with its audience that only this form of music can produce.