The Dillinger Escape Plan - Between The Buried And Me - Stolen Babies
Wednesday 20th February - The Academy 2, Birmingham
By Philip Whitehouse
Total and complete unfamiliarity with tonight's opening band, Stolen Babies, presented me with some difficulty in making any real critical appraisal of them. For one thing, they fell prey to 'First Band Syndrome' - that sonic malady that affects opening bands on stages of all shapes and sizes as the sound engineer struggles to pull together a decent live sound when the additional acoustic blanketing that is a heaving throng of audience members is factored ito the equation. This meant that for the first two or three songs of the set, it was pretty hard to hear with any clarity what the band where doing. Still, they were quite visually interesting - a striking frontwoman with an accordian, a bassist who appeared to have come fresh from performing onstage with Marilyn Manson, that sort of thing. When the audial fog began to clear, their musical approach became more discernable - My Ruin-esque sweet-to-screeching vocals coupling with Mr. Bungle-cum-Dog Fashion Disco genre-hopping insanity. A ska chorus here, a noisy, spazzy riff there... Interesting stuff, and enough to make me curious as to their recorded output - but apparently not engaging enough to win over the crowd, who responded with crossed arms, apathetic stares, and at least one hurled beer.
Next were Between The Buried And Me, who took a rather unorthodox approach to their performance - eschewing whole songs in preference of playing a pair of extended medleys taking in segments of songs from all of their recorded output, blended seamlessly and performed with flawless technical virtuosity. Soaring leads, supporting keyboard flourishes, crunching riffage, all flowed together effortlessly and showcased the band's ability to turn on a dime from battering death metal bludgeon to life-affirmingly sublime extended solo sections, even throwing in the bizarre bar-room honky-tonk midsection from 'Ants Of The Sky' complete with extra embellishments. However, while the musical prowess and ambition of the band's performance was undeniably impressive, the group themselves lack live charisma, staying largely stationary while playing their instruments, the vocalist's contributions mainly consisting of stepping forward, throwing his arms out, and stepping back again. The live sound, too, hindered the enjoyment of the gig somewhat - strangely quiet vocals and occasionally inaudible keys robbing the music of some of its power.
Finally, The Dillinger Escape Plan - a band noted both for their technical abilities and their intense live shows. Both were in evidence tonight, as band members flung themselves over the barrier and into the audience with such regularity that the venue security staff probably spent more time trying to get them back on the stage as they did trying to keep the increasingly frenzied audience under control. '43% Burnt' set the pit off like a bomb had been placed under the floorboards, while newer material like 'Black Bubblegum' from Ireworks showcased The Dillinger Escape Plan's increased melodic and poppy sensibilities while still providing enough groove and stomp to keep the crowd's energy levels up. Greg Puciato ended up dangling upside from the rafters above the audience at one point, whilst a guitarist made me an inadvertent part of the show by using my thigh as a springboard to launch himself into the crowd while I squatted to take photos. The show seemed over almost as soon as it started, a frantic explosion of aggression and noise that enthralled as much as it intimidated. A brilliant performance.
Wednesday 20th February - The Academy 2, Birmingham
By Philip Whitehouse
Total and complete unfamiliarity with tonight's opening band, Stolen Babies, presented me with some difficulty in making any real critical appraisal of them. For one thing, they fell prey to 'First Band Syndrome' - that sonic malady that affects opening bands on stages of all shapes and sizes as the sound engineer struggles to pull together a decent live sound when the additional acoustic blanketing that is a heaving throng of audience members is factored ito the equation. This meant that for the first two or three songs of the set, it was pretty hard to hear with any clarity what the band where doing. Still, they were quite visually interesting - a striking frontwoman with an accordian, a bassist who appeared to have come fresh from performing onstage with Marilyn Manson, that sort of thing. When the audial fog began to clear, their musical approach became more discernable - My Ruin-esque sweet-to-screeching vocals coupling with Mr. Bungle-cum-Dog Fashion Disco genre-hopping insanity. A ska chorus here, a noisy, spazzy riff there... Interesting stuff, and enough to make me curious as to their recorded output - but apparently not engaging enough to win over the crowd, who responded with crossed arms, apathetic stares, and at least one hurled beer.
Next were Between The Buried And Me, who took a rather unorthodox approach to their performance - eschewing whole songs in preference of playing a pair of extended medleys taking in segments of songs from all of their recorded output, blended seamlessly and performed with flawless technical virtuosity. Soaring leads, supporting keyboard flourishes, crunching riffage, all flowed together effortlessly and showcased the band's ability to turn on a dime from battering death metal bludgeon to life-affirmingly sublime extended solo sections, even throwing in the bizarre bar-room honky-tonk midsection from 'Ants Of The Sky' complete with extra embellishments. However, while the musical prowess and ambition of the band's performance was undeniably impressive, the group themselves lack live charisma, staying largely stationary while playing their instruments, the vocalist's contributions mainly consisting of stepping forward, throwing his arms out, and stepping back again. The live sound, too, hindered the enjoyment of the gig somewhat - strangely quiet vocals and occasionally inaudible keys robbing the music of some of its power.
Finally, The Dillinger Escape Plan - a band noted both for their technical abilities and their intense live shows. Both were in evidence tonight, as band members flung themselves over the barrier and into the audience with such regularity that the venue security staff probably spent more time trying to get them back on the stage as they did trying to keep the increasingly frenzied audience under control. '43% Burnt' set the pit off like a bomb had been placed under the floorboards, while newer material like 'Black Bubblegum' from Ireworks showcased The Dillinger Escape Plan's increased melodic and poppy sensibilities while still providing enough groove and stomp to keep the crowd's energy levels up. Greg Puciato ended up dangling upside from the rafters above the audience at one point, whilst a guitarist made me an inadvertent part of the show by using my thigh as a springboard to launch himself into the crowd while I squatted to take photos. The show seemed over almost as soon as it started, a frantic explosion of aggression and noise that enthralled as much as it intimidated. A brilliant performance.
