Australian Alt-Rockers The Getaway Plan
opened up tonight's show with "The Reckoning"
the only album of the bands post-hiatus album
"Requiem". The recorded intro built
up suspense before the heavy drum beat of Aaron
Barnett kicked in. Mathew Wright's vocals were
a little drowned out and occasionally a little
sharp, which is an occupational hazard of smaller
venues like "The Fleece" that win you
over with intimacy and the energy that comes with
it. The Getaway Plan played a brand new track
that saw Mathew pick up a guitar, before moving
on to "Flying Colours" and "Phantoms".
Bassist Dave Anderson bounced around a bit during
songs but other than Mathew who looked comfortable
moving around the stage with his mic in hand,
there was little energy on or off the stage. The
second to last track saw a turn back to the band's
debut album "Other Voices, Other Rooms"
for the softer "Where The City Meets The
Sea". The band finally started to capture
the full attention of everyone in the crowd and
earn a well deserved applause. "Heartstone"
drew the set to a close with a round of applause.
It took a long way for The Getaway Plan to get
the crowd going, in spite of putting on a good
set, with a weight in their live performance that
isn't captured on their CD's. It would have been
nice to see a more confident performance with
a bit more energy, but sadly the thirty minuet
slot cut them off just as things were starting
to brew.
The Xcerts was the first band I ever reviewed
for AV and they blew me away. In spite of their
constant touring and bringing them around the
Bristol Bath area a number of times I never managed
to get to a show. I waited with anticipation,
and unfortunately there were some sound check
issues that made it quite a wait, but after about
30 minutes they finally took to the stage with
their gritty guitar sound and catchy lyrics. Front
man Murray Macleod was quick to thank the crowd
for bearing with them and cracked a few jokes,
completely un-phased by the initial hostility
of an impatient crowd. "Do You Feel Safe?"
from the band's debut album " "In the
Cold Wind We Smile" was mixed in with tracks
from "Scatterbrain" as well as the new
and catchy song "Shaking In The Water".
Jordan Smiths deep powerful bass riffs perfectly
complement the scratchy raw guitar sound of Murray,
highlighting the tune encased in distortion. The
Xcerts continue to impress me with their music
more impressively their live performances, mixing
humour, energy and emotion without detracting
from the sound. The constant touring really shows,
and you can tell they really enjoy playing, with
Murray bouncing round the stage and Tom Heron's
face wrought with emotion as he hammers away at
the drums. The set ended with the crowd singing
"I'll be your mannequin" from the chorus
of "Slackerpop". Other than the delay
and "Scatterbrain" not being in the
set list it was another faultless performance
by The Xcerts. How long can it be till they make
the leap like Young Guns, they deserve it.
Anberlin were the main attraction of tonight's
events, taking the stage in true professional
style. With the lights out and recorded intro
building suspense everyone's eyes fixed on the
stage, as a few shadowy figures moved into position
before being illuminated as the opening riff of
"Little Tyrants" bellowed out of the
speakers. The crowd threw their hands into the
air and clapped along from the get go, and didn't
stop throughout the set.
Anberlin took a step back from "vital"
with "Hello Alone" and "Paperthin
Hymn" with Joseph Milligan and Christian
McAlhaney's guitars exploding into the chorus.
Bands like Natives, and Linkin Park have big choruses
but this was absolutely massive. Stephen Christian
showed his impressive vocal range and powerful
voice that is the heart of Anberlin's tracks,
but there were some issues that plagued the vocals
of every band at tonight's show, and with Stephen
having to compete with the added force of a second
guitar and crowd singing word for word it was
sometimes difficult to hear him fully.
The drums were relentless throughout the set and
no more so that during the intro of "Self-Starter"
which to my surprise wasn't received with a mass
of moving bodies. In an intimate venue like The
Fleece things can get crazy with fans practically
bouncing off walls and people crowd surfing or
climbing onto the stage, which is great fun, but
tonight everyone was happy to just sing along
and jump up and down with their hands in the air.
Tonight however was a much more respectful appreciation
by fans old and new, with most of the movement
on stage. "Never Take Friendship Personal",
"The resistance", "Dismantle Repair"and
"Other Side" continued in good fashion,
with Stephen jumping around the stage, Deon Rexroat
showing what he could do on bass and Christian
standing up the front of the stage holding his
guitar over the crowd. Performing a good mix off
their albums including "Readyfuels"
off of the band's debut album "Blueprints
for The Black Market" now a decade old, but
just as welcomed by the crowd, with a ripping
guitar solo.
After a few more tracks including "Someone
Anyone" the set drew to a close, but the
fans were still hungry for more, chanting and
cheering until they returned to play the fast
paced "Godspeed" tying the set of brilliantly
with its dominating solo and catchy lyrics. Anberlin
but on a fast passed energetic perfomance with
a lot of feeling, with the vocals being drown
out as the only real fault. Small intimate venue's
can bring out the best in a band and be an incredible
and unforgettable show but tonight everyone was
just in awe cheering and clapping after every
song it seemed more like they belonged on a big
stage. Their performance and rock star appearance
suits a much bigger stage, and their set could
be taken to another level with the lights and
effects that come with it. Some band's suit a
big stage, some bands suit a small stage, and
Anberlin are definitely the former. They put on
a great performance and only the venue prevented
it from being a great show.
The Getaway Plan 3/5
The Xcerts 4/5
Anberlin 4.5/5
Review By Marc Rich
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