On record, tonight’s opening band Futures
are simply fantastic. Delicate verses explode
into shout a-long choruses, this is a band that
could be huge. Featuring members of the now defunct
Tonight Is Goodbye, Futures bound onto the stage
with wide smiles and enough charisma to win over
the pre-pubescent, predominately female crowd
before their set even begins. Tracks such as Holiday
and new single The Boy Who Cried Wolf certainly
pack enough punch to bowl over the most sceptical
of spectators, I predict that 2010 is going to
be a very good year for this London four piece.
Family Force 5 is a band that I have heard very
little about, and from witnessing their set, I
can deduce that they are loud, a teeny bit annoying,
and your parents definitely wouldn’t like
them. FF5 belong to a genre of music known as
Christian crunkcore, not a genre that I am all
too familiar with, and would rather not acquaint
myself with in the future. To me, FF5 are nine
years too late, gone are the days when Last Resort
and Rollin’ would grace our stereos, and
I would much rather that the rap-rock infusion
was left dead and buried.
The excitement is close to boiling point as the
lights dim and tonight’s headlining band,
Cobra Starship, grace us with their presence.
For the uninitiated, Cobra Starship are one of
Pete Wentz’s protégés. Since
signing to his record label, Decaydance in 2006,
Cobra Starship have gone on to release three critically
acclaimed albums, written a song for the soundtrack
of Samuel L. Jackson’s tongue in cheek Snakes
on a Plane, and made many friends in the highest
of places. Tonight sees them in a sweaty Manchester
Academy 2, playing to a throng of adoring fourteen
year old girls (and me).
Much like many of the other bands signed to Fuelled
By Ramen/Decaydance Records, this gig has very
much a family feel to it. For many, Cobra Starship
are the band that plaster their bedroom walls
and blare through their headphones on public transport.
Opener The City Is at War certainly kicks off
this raucous affair, there are arms flailing,
bruised and battered teenagers scramble to the
safety of their concerned parents who have gathered
at the rear of the venue, not what you’d
expect from a synth-pop band who sing about snakes…on
planes.
All in all, while Cobra Starship may not be my
exact cup of tea, they seem to hit the right spot
among many of the young crowd, and for this I
cannot begrudge them. So while I would rather
be at home, sipping on my cup of tea, Cobra Starship
can leave safe in the knowledge that they have
made many other people’s nights.
Futures - 5/5
Family Force 5 - 2/5
Cobra Starship - 3/5
Review By Ben Connell
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