If you ask me, it’s odd that “emo” / “post hardcore” or what ever on earth you wish to call it should provoke such ridicule from other rock fans. Let’s face it, the occasional lyric about being dumped by ones girlfriend/boyfriend is hardly an uncommon feature in most genres of music, so it was only a matter of time before the “pop” subjects were transcended into a rock format. Some may argue its exact incarnation lay in a twisted mess post Busted, but surely, one can’t look at the industry and over look the sheer force with which the “emo” bandwagon is currently rolling… and to blame at the head of this band wagon? Well… many bands and Taking Back Sunday are surely one of those at the fore front. EVEN, after three members left the band in 2003. So lets see what all the commotion is about. They are of course, a band who, and lets be honest here, may not be as prolific as most in the genre (in terms of releases anyway) but are certainly renowned for setting the standards so to speak, and thus tonight’s intimate gig has been highly awaited by many.
Photo: Gary Lancaster © 2009 TeenSpot.comOpeners tonight are the UK’s “Beat Union” who carry an air of the street punk era around them but lace these moments with pop punk melodies and hooks. In parts it’s confusing… songs you expect to flow, and songs which you expect to be able to work out where they are heading jump out at you and hit you in an entirely different way than they did at the beginning. It’s exciting, to say the least and although the majority of the crowd didn’t seem to really get into them, they were generally received warmly and the radio friendly ‘Can’t Stop The Radio’ (which incidentally is quite the underground hit right now) was met with a cheer from the somewhat confused crowd. Their set reflected a sense of things to come as they ploughed through their far too brief set of half an hour. Although sounding nothing like Taking Back Sunday, their sound was complimentary to say the least as their pop punk undertones riled the audience into a state of sheer anticipation.
Photo: Gary Lancaster © 2009 TeenSpot.comTaking Back Sunday, were up next, and boy did the audience know it. A murmur of excitement arose gradually throughout the interval between both bands and as the lights dimmed the atmosphere inside the venue reached melting point. Launching straight into ‘A Decade Under The Influence’ which created somewhat of a riot from the pit, the audience were treated to a seventeen song set of songs from both ‘Tell All Your Friends’ the bands highly credited debut album and also ‘Where You Want To Be’ the sophomore album featuring a slightly altered line up. ‘Set Phasers to Stun’ engrossed the crowd and was performed with the utmost intensity and ‘Timberwolves In New Jersey’ had the crowd bouncing a long for a good thirty seconds before the mosh pit descended once again back into chaos. ‘Great Romances of the 20th Century’ showed a dedication to the cause by the band as they undoubtedly rocked out harder than they had ever rocked out before, and in contrast to this much loved song from their debut CD, they played a couple of new tracks too including ‘Spin’ which although not the most ear pleasing track they have ever done, possibly resides now as my second favourite Taking Back Sunday song.
Photo: Gary Lancaster © 2009 TeenSpot.comI say second, of course, because there is one song which every one loves. Fan, or not. The song, which everyone had been waiting for, and the song which the band quite possibly loathe these days. ‘Cute Without the E’ . From the very opening chord to the very last beat of the drums this song gripped the audience who erupted into a volley of chorus lines and word-for-word harmonies. The band had the crowd eating out of their hands, and why on earth shouldn’t they.
Despite the somewhat awful sound quality from my vantage point, over all this show proved once and for all for quite a few of us critics that whilst Taking Back Sunday might not be all of our favourite bands, we’ll certainly tell all our friends about their shows. See what I did there? Certainly a band worth checking out live, and certainly a force to be reckoned with.
