...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Live at Camden Koko
February 23rd 2007 14:37
The price of a bottle of San Miguel nearly makes me vomit it back in the barman's face. He would've deserved it, too...
But we're not here for beer. Around five years ago, ...Trail of Dead and At The Drive-In were being equally heralded as saviours of modern alternative rock. ATD-I had the hardcore end sewn up, and ...Trail of Dead were the arty fellows. There were a couple of classic records ('Relationship of Command' and 'Madonna') and then one of them split up and went prog. ...Trail of Dead were left to carry the new rock torch in the face of the New York/Detroit greaseballs for the ensuing years. They were brutally energetic, non-hackneyed, pissed off, stoned and very fucking good.
Nowadays, their live show still consists mostly of live material from the first three records they released. What does this mean? That their newer, shinier, ballsier records are no good? To the layman, yes, The simple fact is that they are unplayable, and the old stuff feels too damn good not play at every single show. But that doesn't stop tonight's show from feeling somewhat self-congratulatory and a little bit flaccid. Don't misunderstand, this band are still at the very forefront of consummate live entertainment, but they have dwindled somewhat in the last few years.
Examples:
'A Perfect Teenhood', usually famed for its glorious accelarations and crushing repetition of "FUCK YOU!" until someone inevitably dies, is played depressingly slowly. Jason Reece is noticeably podgier and less inclined to interact than in previous years. There is an extended coda on 'Totally Natural' that sees Conrad Keely standing for a couple of minutes alone at the front of the stage widdling like a pubescent Eddie Van Halen before leaving the stage. It's not pretty or clever. It's back-slapping.
But they are still much, much better than most live bands likely to play at a venue the size of the Koko. If they were to pick a time to retire from playing live, however, now would be the most opportune. They will never regain their former glory.
To read a more generous (and better-writen) review, go to this thing here.
But we're not here for beer. Around five years ago, ...Trail of Dead and At The Drive-In were being equally heralded as saviours of modern alternative rock. ATD-I had the hardcore end sewn up, and ...Trail of Dead were the arty fellows. There were a couple of classic records ('Relationship of Command' and 'Madonna') and then one of them split up and went prog. ...Trail of Dead were left to carry the new rock torch in the face of the New York/Detroit greaseballs for the ensuing years. They were brutally energetic, non-hackneyed, pissed off, stoned and very fucking good.
Nowadays, their live show still consists mostly of live material from the first three records they released. What does this mean? That their newer, shinier, ballsier records are no good? To the layman, yes, The simple fact is that they are unplayable, and the old stuff feels too damn good not play at every single show. But that doesn't stop tonight's show from feeling somewhat self-congratulatory and a little bit flaccid. Don't misunderstand, this band are still at the very forefront of consummate live entertainment, but they have dwindled somewhat in the last few years.
Examples:
'A Perfect Teenhood', usually famed for its glorious accelarations and crushing repetition of "FUCK YOU!" until someone inevitably dies, is played depressingly slowly. Jason Reece is noticeably podgier and less inclined to interact than in previous years. There is an extended coda on 'Totally Natural' that sees Conrad Keely standing for a couple of minutes alone at the front of the stage widdling like a pubescent Eddie Van Halen before leaving the stage. It's not pretty or clever. It's back-slapping.
But they are still much, much better than most live bands likely to play at a venue the size of the Koko. If they were to pick a time to retire from playing live, however, now would be the most opportune. They will never regain their former glory.
To read a more generous (and better-writen) review, go to this thing here.
| 51 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
