Live Review

Of Mice And Men – Manchester Academy 2

• 13th May 2011

It’s not exactly been hard to notice that most metalcore line-ups in recent years have been dominated by bands from across the pond so it’s a somewhat welcome change for Of Mice and Men to be the only American representatives on tonight’s bill as they provide main support for York’s rising superstars Asking Alexandria.

Fighting to find space amongst the sold out audience it’s nice to hear a good ol’ local accent coming from Academy 2 as Manchester lads Plagues take to the stage. Their straight up blend of heavy riffs and melodic vocals isn’t exactly a sound which is going to see them winning any awards for creativity any time soon but the tight and entertaining way in which it’s delivered ensures that the audience’s attention is held throughout. In fact, the energy which comes from the crowd is perhaps the most impressive display I’ve seen for an opening act in quite a while; the amount of fist pumping and movement is both testament to the bands raw power and the patriotism of the home crowd.

Plagues are the ideal opening band, firing the audience up though carefully crafted hooks and a vague sense of familiarity born out of their reluctance to break the mould. It’s no wonder that they’ve already supported international acts such as Attack! Attack! and The Chariot. On the whole they’re a band full of potential which a bit of individuality and development could fully unlock.

The crowd now impatiently await California’s Of Mice and Men, a band which have undergone numerous line-up issues over the past year which saw the departure and subsequent return of frontman Austen Carlile and clean vocalist Shayley Bourge shifting from rhythm guitar to bass. Any fears that this may affect their performance tonight are quickly shown up as unfounded as they storm onto the stage and unleash their opening track ‘Those in Glass Houses’. Carlile’s vocals, though impressive on record, sound even better live with their crushing ferocity and are perfectly contrasted by Bourge’s varied melodies which switch seamlessly from slow crooning to soaring refrains on songs like ‘Farewell to Shady Glade’ and the ‘This One’s for You’.

Walking into the academy half way through the set you’d be forgiven for thinking that Of Mice and Men were the headlining act. The crowd is uncontrollable with not many people left standing still between the stage and sound desk. Pits are breaking out left, right and centre as people jump, push, scream, sing and even dance (yes dance) wildly, all acting as testimony to the bands diverse sound. But now comes the potentially tricky point, the new song, usually a point in the night where the energy dies down and the crowd stares blankly but that’s not the case tonight. ‘Repeating apologies’ is a track which is more brutal than anything Of Mice and Men have done up to date and the crowd love it. The circle pit that erupts is one of the biggest of the night and the conviction with which the crowd roar the lines Carlile has previously taught us (‘You won’t bring me down, I’ve got my feet on solid ground’) suggests that new album ‘The Flood’ is going to launch Of Mice and Men to much greater heights.

From there on the crowd is theirs and the energy doesn’t relent as the band dive into the crowd pleasers such as ‘YDG’ and end on the huge sing along which is ‘Second and Sebring’. Of Mice and Men ultimately know how to command the stage and when Carlile takes the bass from Bourge to switch places and throw himself into the crowd it’s clear that they’re as much about having fun as they are about audience satisfaction. Their performance leaves everyone, including me who by tonight’s standards is far too old, a sweaty yet satisfied mess. Asking Alexandria fail to match up with their lacklustre and suspiciously intoxicated performance and I have to say that the Americans have this one again.