The queue stretched all the way up the road as far as the eye could see as I got to Rock City. The singing had started even if some of the songs were a little dubious, this was a crowd who were ready for a good night.
Nothing More from Texas splinted our senses with a hard rock set heavy with drum and bass, moving around the stage in some very limited confines, front man Jonny Hawkins gave 100% and was met with a 100% response from the crowd. Seasoned professionals, the band formed in 2003 and have had considerable success allowing them to draw on their albums to pick some great music to demonstrate their professional prowess to the Nottingham crowd. Opening with ‘Let Em Burn’ followed swiftly by ‘Christ Copyright’ and ‘Don’t Stop’, the sound punched you squarely in the jaw as the huge rhythms exploded out of the PA’s. Even the slower songs like ‘Jenny’, had the crowd punching the air. ‘Everybody up’ shouted Jonny and they did the floor was bouncing. How do you engage those in the crowd not familiar with your music? – a bit of a Queen classic whilst floating around the front high above the stage on a strange platform which looks like it came straight out of a Mad Max film that’s how.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPb2_glC8kA&w=560&h=315]The lights went out, the cheering stated, the chanting of ‘Papa Roach, Papa Roach’ filling the room, the tension was palpable.
Beginning their set with one of their biggest, well know songs was a stroke of genius ‘Last Resort’ exploded the tension in the air with one great big wall of singing and sound.
Smoke, strobe lighting, a bass-line to shake the dead awake, this is a band so obviously up for the gig, the energy emitting from the stage was enough to power the national grid.
‘Help’ continued the energy, Shaddix’s vocals sound clear and full of power. The guitars sounded immense, the drums simply huge.
‘Rock City have got the mother fuckin’ fire in their veins’ declares Shaddix and he isn’t wrong. The room is rammed, this sold out crowd sing and live every word of every song, it a heaving mass of energy matching that of the bands. ‘Who do You Trust’ fills the air. The punch of the drums and huge bassline making your ears feel like they are caving in on themselves.
A band still on the top of their game after some 26 years together and able to draw from their many albums to have a set of songs that delighted everyone. The newer songs fitting snuggly in with the classics, the band have evolved and changed but never lost their identity. It’s hard to think of a better frontman, Jacoby Shaddix left the stage and engaged with the crowd before the third song had even finished. Fans grabbing at him, did this put him off? Of course not, he clearly loves what he does and loves his fans.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaxE-8M9Y0E&w=560&h=315]Standing on a small riser at the front of the stage, allowing everyone to see him, a conductor directing his orchestra of voices the singing just didn’t stop.
A few highlights – not that there were any lows, included ‘Scars’ a beautiful song which always gives me goose-bumps as Shaddix shows how good his voice is and a really huge and completely incredible version of Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter’. Closing the night with ‘Born For Greatness’, I find words failing me as to how good the whole show was. I don’t think I’ve seen crowd engagement to this extent for a considerable time and it was fabulous. Thank you Papa Roach, one to add to the memory bank of utterly awesome gigs.
Review /Photography by Lindsay Boam-smith for metalplanetmusic
