Taking Back Sunday @ Birmingham Academy, 1st September 2011
Taking Back Sunday are in Birmingham tonight to take the crowd on a nostalgia trip as we travel down memory lane back to the days when emo was huge and bands like Taking Back Sunday and Brand New were the forerunners of the genre. Things have changed since, but as we find out tonight they still know how to turn back the years as the play a career spanning set of hit after hit.
Chances are you have probably seen or heard the front man of The New Regime without realising as he has drummed for both Lostprophets and Nine Inch Nails but Ilan Rubin has stepped out from behind the kit donned a guitar and has just released his second solo album under the moniker of The New Regime. The majority of the crowd tonight don’t seem familiar with the music, which makes it harder for Ilan to get the reaction he deserves. Tracks off the new album like ‘Radiate the False’ sounds great and there are solos aplenty throughout the set but its ‘Enjoy The Bitterness ‘with its haunting piano intro that makes the biggest impact. It’s a shame the crowd aren’t more into it but Ilan and the rest of his band put on a great show.
Is it 2011 or 2001? Who the hell cares this is Taking Back Sunday with its original line-up back together after fall-outs and new bands; and boy are we in for a treat tonight as they open up with El Paso off their brand new self-titled album. The set-list is a great mix of old and new but completely bypasses 2009’s New Again. All the hits are there though and the crowd has no problems singing along to every word of the likes of ‘You Know How I Do’ and ‘One-Eighty by Summer’. Its great having John Nolan back in the band and by the look if the smile on his face it seems he’s glad to be back too his vocals complementing Adam’s sultry tones perfectly.
Onstage Adam has energy in abundance, a mesmerising front man with his trademark microphone slinging he prances around rarely standing still hitting every note. When it comes to the ‘Hello insert town name here’ moment Adam turns on his American preacher mode as he paces the stage dragging it out for as long as possible as he doesn’t want to offend anyone with his pronunciation of Birmingham! A surprise cover of ‘Existentialism on Prom Night’ is something a little bit special; Adam’s vocals added into the mix make the already good original an absolute belter.
‘Your so Last Summer’ sounds epic and images of Flavor Flav jumping around the stage complete with a clock around his neck must cross the minds of at least a few people! ‘Cute Without the ‘E’’ closes the show but its not long before the band are back on stage to play ‘There’s No I in Team’, a song Adam said that they would never play again and the crowd give it their all one last time as Adams writhes around front of stage.
Set List
El Paso
MakeDamnSure
You Know How I Do
Liar (It Takes one to Know One)
Faith
Bike Scene
One Eighty by Summer
Error Operator
Timberwolves at New Jersey
Existentialism on Prom Night
What’s it Feel Like to be a Ghost?
A Decade Under the Influence
Since Your Gone
Spin
You’re so Last Summer
Set Phasers to Stun
You Got Me
Cute Without the ‘E’
There’s no ‘I’ in Team
Review – Hannah Sebestjanowicz
Photos – Jordan Curtis Hughes