Atreyu + As I Lay Dying + Story Of The Year + MUCC + HORSE The Band + I Spy Strangers @ Birmingham Academy 2 – 21st October 2008
This year, the Rockstar sponsored Taste of Chaos tour is the smallest it’s ever been; after being downgraded from the NIA to the Academy last year, it’s now in the Academy 2. Whether this is a reflection of this year’s line up or if people are just going to gigs less is unclear, however those who do turn up are more than ready to give it their all.
First up are local band competition winners, I Spy Strangers, who come on to an empty room but soon find themselves playing to a decent sized crowd. They receive a good reaction, their screamo vocals and intricate guitar riffs fitting in well with the rest of the bands on the bill. A short cover of Limp Bizkit’s ‘Break Stuff’ and a line stolen from Paramore seem a strange choice, but the young crowd see where they’re coming from and get into the spirit.
California’s HORSE the band start off great but their adventurous sound doesn’t seem to impress tonight, the crowd staying fairly still throughout. Their mix of heavy, chugging guitars and techno beats, earning them the label of ‘Nintendocore’ is something experimented with by many bands, however HORSE the band’s energetic stage performance adds something extra to the visual effect of the show. Still, tonight’s crowd don’t really seem to get them, and with less than ideal sound, a lot of the detail is lost.
Japanese rock band MUCC are the first to really get things going, frontman Tatsurou tearing around the stage as the crowd go for it. Their style varies throughout, making it difficult to categorize them as anything in particular but they give a great performance which will have converted plenty of new fans for next time they come to the UK.
The band that really impress tonight are Missouri’s Story Of The Year. Always energetic and entertaining, they really tear it up tonight, storming through opener ‘The Hero Will Drown’ and causing complete carnage in the confined space of the Academy 2. Although their set sticks to the better known and often played material, this is a smart move for such a short slot and makes for an explosive set. The only lower point is ‘Until The Day I Die’, which has been horrendously overplayed over the years, however the fans are eager to join in and sing along. ‘Is This My Fate…?’ sees the set out on a high point, a gigantic pit opening up, swallowing most of the room. Story Of The Year clearly had a lot of fans in the building tonight and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
As arguably the most metal band on the bill, As I Lay Dying have a lot to live up to. Despite their music being considerably heavier, the reaction never quite reaches that of the previous band’s. Still, As I Lay Dying sound great, ‘The Sound Of Truth’ making the walls shudder as the ‘Rockstar’ fuelled kids beat the crap out of each other. Still, according to singer, Tim Lambesis, this is the quietest crowd the Californians have played to for a long time. The energy picks up for the better known ’94 Hours’, but it seems the crowd are saving themselves for the headliners.
Atreyu don’t have a great deal of time before closing, but they squeeze a lot in to their 40 minute set. Kicking off with newer song ‘Doomsday’, a welcome change from usual opener ‘Bleeding Mascara’ which finds a place later on, they get the fans straight into the action. Alex Varkatzas doesn’t waste any time, getting his top off by the second song and building the energy up onstage. Despite a good reaction from the crowd, Atreyu don’t sound on top form, missing notes in the high speed guitar work of ‘Bleeding Mascara’, as well as sounding noticeably slower than usual on some tracks. However old favourite, ‘Lip Gloss And Black’ sees a return to normal, Alex getting the entire room down on their knees before the song kicks in for the last time, the room errupting into chaos as the words ‘Live, Love, Burn, Die’ ring out.
The Rockstar Taste Of Chaos tour may not be as big as it once was, but there is considerably more chaos going on in this tiny room than there ever was in the cavernous NIA. Smaller, more intimate gigs are arguably the best and tonight, those who made it were clearly ready to help the tour live up to it’s name.
Atreyu Setlist:
Doomsday
Right Side Of The Bed
Ex’s And Oh’s
Falling Down
The Crimson
Blow
When Two Are One
Bleeding Mascara
Lip Gloss And Black
Review – Helen Catchpowle
Phtos – Dave Musson