Live Review

All Forgotten/Deaf Havana – Liverpool Academy 2

• 13th Mar 2009

Liverpool’s Academy 2 is not the largest venue to have to fill, but attendance is low and the room is disappointingly empty. This does not deter post-hardcore five-piece All Forgotten, who burst onto the stage and deliver a short but perfectly honed set with vigour and precision.

Their self-assurance and persistant demand for crowd participation attracts those previously lurking at the bar and in the shadows, despite an evidently limited fanbase – few among the crowd seem familiar with the band’s material, which is surprising since over the past year they have toured relentlessly, with names like Youmeatsix and Forever The Sickest Kids.

The perfectly executed solos, interspersed with crashing guitars and vocalist Thorne’s screams and sustained notes, are faultless; however, they seem to lack the originality required to truly grab this apathetic crowd’s attention. When the set ends abruptly due to Thorne’s voice failing, co-headliners Deaf Havana are left to try and rouse a listless group of detached spectators.

Perhaps it’s their lively, enthusiastic stage presence that injects some life into the room, which includes impromptu acrobatics and synchronised headbanging. Or perhaps it’s their music, with its heavy overtones yet catchy choruses. Whatever the case, the band and their casual banter, infectious tracks and boundless enthusiasm have this crowd eating out of their hands. Although most there already know the band thanks to their date with We Are The Ocean – the track for which they have just shot a video, ‘Oh Howard You Crack Me Up’, is met with rapturous screaming – their unique musical stylings win them yet more fans and their star seems set to continue rising.