tisdag 9 Okt 2007, 8:23
Sun 7 Oct – Motion City Soundtrack, Straylight Run, Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer
Before launching into this review I should perhaps nail my colours to the flag and state that my main reason for attending was to see Straylight Run. I should also point out that I am also going to break the first rule of Review Writing For Dummies and write this review from a personal, rather than objective view-point.
Zolof The Rock and Roll Destroyer are a queer little band; for starters they both look about twelve and I’m of the opinion that did they not have the association with Anthony Green they would probably not be as well known, and I know this isn’t particularly well, as they are. That’s not to say they were bad, quite far from it, they put in a solid effort with what they had and quite justified their position in opening for a pretty large band. That said, I’ve always thought that their material is something that has been done before and their performance did little to endear me from this point of view. Whilst I wouldn’t be put off going to another show they opened, I can’t say I will be rushing out for their CD.
As you may have gathered by the opening of this review, this paragraph is likely to be the longest due in no small part to my predisposition to Straylight Run. Before I get to them I should perhaps spare a word of praise for the tour crew; I had just enough time to get a drink, from the unusually efficient bar staff, and back to my place before Straylight Run. In the past I’ve found the Met to have a slow turn around of bands, but the break between bands can have been little more than twenty minutes. Straylight Run opened with Existentialism on Prom Night, the first song of theirs I ever heard, which brought a smile to my face, a smile which only grew larger as the set progressed up to the point, toward the end, where I was grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat who had stumbled upon the latest delivery of opened milk bottles and asthmatic mice. Add to that the fact that I sang each word as if it were a karaoke and you’ll probably be able to identify me should you have had the misfortune to have been stood near (front left) to me at this point. They played a complimentary mix of old and new material, a personal highlight being Soon We’ll Be Living In The Future, closing with Hands In The Sky (Big Shot), the solitary track from the Prepare to Be Wrong EP. The penultimate track, the title of which escapes me at the moment, (It’s For The Best?) they played by request, if that song did not give you goosebumps I suggest you visit your local GP and have your central nervous system checked over. I bought the new CD on the way in and played it until Stupid o’Clock on Monday morning, it even went some way to numbing the pain of finding out that The Decemberists show on Saturday has been cancelled. It was all over far too quickly for my liking, but had, in case there was any doubt, fulfilled and far surpassed all my expectations.
Another prompt change over and it was the turn of Motion City Soundtrack and whilst I thought they could never live up to Straylight Run they certainly made it a close run thing. I have a few small criticisms of MCS which I won’t go into here, but one thing no one can fault is their interaction with the crowd. Being an unapologetic Francophile I was possibly the only person cheering the French guitar, but the band came across as a group of unpretentious, down-to-earth guys, something missing from quite a few bands otherwise good bands I can think of. I’m not a huge fan of the latest MCS album, I like it, but I think it’s the worst of the three. I’ve seen them twice before touring with Commit This To Memory and while I think they put in a better performance that last time they were at the Met, I don’t think it quite lived up to when I saw them at the Cockpit. I’m sure anyone who rates the latest album higher than myself will probably have a different opinion and enjoyed the whole show equally, but personally I thought that most of the highlights were the older material and of cause the insanely good, if slightly predictable, The Future Freaks Me Out encore. Whilst their set did little to raise my opinion of the new album it has prompted me into playing it again, like many have said it is a grower, I’m taking bets on me coming back to this review in a month or two and thinking “proved you wrong Ian; Even If It Kills Me hasn’t been out of the CD player in a long while” if anyone fancies winning some easy money. Looking back, this paragraph has turned out just as long as the one on Straylight Run; which on reflection is about right, both bands put everything into their show, had I attended with out prejudice I would probably have rated both equally.
Would I go see MCS touring again with Even If It Kills Me? Most possibly. Would I go see Straylight Run again? Most definitely, I’m already polling my friends to see who fancies going to North Carolina to catch the opening leg of their next tour.