Live Review

Twin Atlantic – O2 Academy, Islington, London

• 1st Dec 2011

Before Twin Atlantic were to grace the stage, I got the chance to chat to Barry McKenna (Guitar) and Ross McNae (Bass) of the band to find out how their year so far has been – and it’s been a lot of work.

2011 has seen the release of the bands critically acclaimed first full length LP, Free (they consider 2009’s Vivarium a mini-album), a lot of touring in the second half of the year. These tours ranged from headline tours and spots in various festivals across the UK and Europe. It also featured the band’s second visit to the US, which the guys enjoyed immensely.

Joining McKenna and McNae in the band are Sam McTrusty on guitar and lead vocals, and Craig Kneale on drums. Though, before these four boys made their way to the stage, the audience were greeted by the support.

Arcane Roots, whose energy was only just contained in the arena, were first. Spilling through their brief setlist, it is a shame that the vast majority of the crowd had not yet arrived to see this band. Another shame is the fact that the crowd, that was present, did not get into what Arcane Roots had to offer.

Following Arcane Roots was Dinosaur Pile-Up, a band I am embarrassed to say I only heard of briefly before the concert. That said, I will be checking them out again. The grunge act from Leeds were a welcome addition to the billing, but sadly fell to the same fate with the audience as Arcane Roots did. Both acts deserved more than what was given to them, yet playing in a supporting role does come with the fact you will be getting less attention.

However, the audience’s mood changed instantly once Twin Atlantic made their way to the stage, opening with their instrumental track Serious Underground Dances Vibes, followed by the singles Make A Beast Of Myself and Edit Me. Indeed, as the guys told me earlier, it was a very “Free heavy setlist”.

However, during a break for a bit of banter with the crowd, McTrusty seemed to answer one particular concert-goers request, and the band played Lightspeed, which was the first of many tracks from Vivarium, almost all played one after the other.

The encore opened in a fashion to my delight, as the band started with Yes I Was Drunk, my personal favourite from their arsenal of tracks. And, I might add, it’s also the bands favourite to play live also. “It’s a very easy song for the crowd to get into live” said McNae.

The night came to an end then once Time For You To Stand Up and Free were played to the excited fans of this band, whose charisma on stage beats most, if not all.

That being said, while I was interviewing McKenna and McNae, it was easy to see how much these guys cherish what they do and how they make a living. This is the reason they are not rushing into the studio to record their next album.

Although Free seems like an old record to them (they finished recording in early 2011), it has only been in the public eye since May. They plan on touring the record for the first half of next year, and then truly get to work on an album they can be proud of. “If someone asked us to record a new album tomorrow, we’d probably say ‘yeah, let’s do it”, said McNae, “but we wouldn’t be ready”.

So, we can look at this in 2 very positive respects. One, when the guys do release their next effort, it will not be half good songs and half filler, but something similar in quality to Free. Secondly, we now have a whole 6 – 7 months of the setlist I witnessed in the O2, which was sublime.

These guys have only just started their Free-ze tour, so if you can try and catch them before the end of the year. Or we can trek up to Aberdeen where they will be ringing in the New Year along with The View and White Lies. Your call.