London’s iconic Astoria tonight plays host for the capital cities leg of NME Magazines annual tour and it’s a sell out despite the lineup being a right motley crue with the headline slot bring awarded to Nickelback who are touring in support of their brand new single This Is How You Remind Me.
Up from first are snotty punk upstarts The Parkinsons. Hailing from Columbia there is a buzz surrounding this band amongst those in the know as folklore spreads of their chaotic live performances but it’s a tough gig tonight as they face a crowd primarily in attendance for Nickelback. A jolly good effort but Anarchy in the UK it isn’t, not tonight at least.
Next up are Grammy winning Swedes Backyard Babies. Unphased by a tepid crowd they come in hot and are visibly pleased to be playing to the sold out room. A great performance sadly unappreciated by the majority of the crowd.
Completing the trio of supports is Quicksands Walter Shriefels and his concept post hardcore band Rival Sons. Having recently had moderate international success with single Used For Glue they probably expected a warmer reaction than they received the evening but hey, it’s a weird bill
.…and so the time is upon us and Nickelback grace the stage. This Is How You Remind me is a huge hit in America and Canada and the band are set to play stadiums later in the year. It remains to be seen if the single will connect in the UK and Europe, here marks the beginning of that campaign and like it or not, it looks like the Canadians are coming… that crowd I mentioned earlier gave them just as much a hard time as the other bands until the last song of the set. The single, of course. For those paying attention, Too Bad and Never Again proved to be suitably rocking highlights of the set. I mean don’t get me wrong, I enjoy How You Remind Me but so does my nan, so make of that what you will. Expect to hear more from this band, like it or not.