Already excited by the prospect of seeing some decent metal in such a small venue, I was stunned to find out the gig would actually be taking place in a smaller room at the back of the Barfly – a room I didn’t even know existed until tonight. This room is tiny. I mean miniscule. I find myself wondering how on Earth a five-man band are going to fit on stage, as the room itself only holds just over 100 people.
For Fei Comodo’s first headline tour, this could be seen as a slight disappointment. In my opinion, there’s nothing quite like an intimate gig and the atmosphere it brings. I don’t see the small venue as a bad thing at all – it should just add to the experience. One of the things I love about smaller gigs with lesser-known bands is the distinct lack of ‘celebrity culture’. I see members of the headlining band strolling through the crowd on numerous occasions before their set and to be honest I don’t think many people even realise who they are. This young audience are here purely for the music – most of them don’t know the names of the band members and I can guarantee none of them know their date of birth or favourite food. This is music at its purest, exactly how it should be.
The first of three support groups, At The Water’s Edge, are a local four-piece hardcore/screamo band. They’ve certainly got the right image for tonight – skinny jeans, camo shorts, caps and tattoos – but the audience aren’t overly impressed by the music. The below-par sound quality doesn’t help them and I do think they have potential; this is, after all, their first ever gig. ATWE try their best, throwing their guitars around and trying to get the crowd involved with several pleas for a bit of movement, but it’s hard to make an impact when everyone is effectively just waiting for your set to finish.
Next up are Allucinere – another local band which funnily enough sees a second appearance for the bassist (who turns out to be Birmingham Live’s very own Terra Duff) and drummer of the previous band. Terra is a member of both bands, whereas the drummer is just filling in tonight. Allucinere are extremely hard to pigeonhole. They have one of the most bizarre, yet brilliant, sounds I’ve heard in a while. The best way I can describe it is screamo rock mixed with hardcore, plus some catchy synth here and there. There are some beautiful guitar harmonies and I really like this band, although they again seem to be suffering from ‘support syndrome’, as the audience don’t give them the movement and applause they probably deserve.
Bury Tomorrow take centre stage and straight away I realise that a large portion of the crowd are here for them. The first mosh pit of the night breaks out seconds into their first song and all the kids are doing that weird two-step dancing you only see at hardcore gigs. I must admit, I was blown away. This was the first time I’d heard Bury Tomorrow and I have not been so impressed by a support band in a very long time. The music is hardcore but mixed in with the brutal guitars and screams are some gorgeous melodies and stunning singing. Front-man Jase personifies the whole band – energetic, confident and loving every minute of it. A pit breaks out at every opportunity and there are plenty of these in Bury Tomorrow’s set. In such a small room it threatens to engulf even the soundman and merch table. With all the crowd-surfing and singing along from the audience this set feels like it belongs to the headliners.
With such a tough act to follow, Fei Comodo certainly have a job on their hands to keep this crowd going. Despite no doubt being knackered after the previous set, the crowd are still bouncing and the majority of those at the front are singing along with every word. In fact, the energy is so tempting that I drop my notepad and run into the pit. Fei Comodo are a hardcore screamo band from Essex who have made a name for themselves over the past few years with non-stop touring as support for the likes of August Burns Red. The whole band are seriously enjoying themselves and guitarist Mike plays the entire set with a grin on his face. Don’t be fooled by his diminutive stature, he is one hell of a musician and has the energy of a man twice his size. Vocalist Marc climbs up on top of the PA speakers mid-set and sings at the top of his lungs. He has a fantastic voice and can hit the high notes as well as having a scream that really packs a punch. However the response from the crowd, if anything, is worse than for Bury Tomorrow, who could so easily have been co-support tonight. In fact, the gig is almost treated as such, with both bands having similar sets in terms of length. Fei Comodo’s Marc joined Bury Tomorrow for their last song and three members of Bury Tomorrow return the favour as Fei’s set comes to its climax. There appears to be a great comradery between the two bands and this only highlights the fact that each is on a par with the other. Fei Comodo play a brilliant set and really get the crowd going but, despite my love for the headliners, I have to concede that this night probably belongs to Bury Tomorrow.
Setlist
Watch Them Feed
Burn It All
Bobby Marshall
The Cost Of Living
Leave Nothing Behind
Just Another Day
Break The Ice
Behind Bars
This One’s For Us
Riot To Remember
No comments:
Post a Comment