Live Review

The Menzingers – The Borderline, London

• 26th Sep 2012

I’ll be honest, I had a lot of expectations for this. The Menzingers are one of my breakout bands of the past year, with “On The Impossible Past” being a top contender for Album Of The Year. So when I got wind that the American punk band would be playing in The Borderline, I got excited to say the least.

However, before The Menzingers could take to the stage ahead of a sell out crowd at The Borderline in London, there was the small detail of the support acts. First up was Above Them, a quartet who surprised me in doing something rarely achieved by such a early support act – they got the crowd going.

Above Them hit the stage roughly 2 hours before the Menzingers, yet were met with a substantial crowd. And it was easy to see why, as these boys brought a different kind of energy you don’t usually see. You could see the happiness on their faces. And with songs like Concrete Forgiveness, we will hopefully be seeing more of these guys soon.

The second act on the stage was The Front Bottoms, and I can honestly say their name alone perked my interest. Their unique brand of indie/ska/dance/punk draws on many influences, with songs like The Beers and Swimming Pool being standouts.

An outstanding theme with their music is that the songs sound like they should be happy, but lyrically are quite sad. In this, I can’t help but see an influence from fellow Americans, Say Anything. The difference being that The Front Bottoms don’t carry the pretentiousness that Say Anything do.

And, with that, came the raw intensity that only The Menzingers can bring to the stage. Opening with the blistering Obituaries from the most recent record, the band got things off to a massive start. The crowd went mental, with many being thrown into the air in a dangerous fashion, which is to be expected.

The Menzingers, and the crowd, managed to keep this energy for their full set, which is a feat in itself. Pacing through a great portion of the new album, some of the most memorable songs included Gates, Nice Things and Casey. But they did touch on their back catalogue, with Sunday Morning being an obvious fan favourite.

And, while songs like Good Things were loved by the crowd, it as the encore which brought everything home. A touching rendition of My Friend Chris, followed by A Lesson In The Abuse Of Information Technology ended the night on more than a high.

Yes, I came into this gig with lots to expectations. And I am happy to say that all have been met. Sadly this was the end of their current UK run, so we may not see them for a while. Just make sure you’re there to be thrown around by your peers next time they hit our shores.