Review & Photography by Ritchie Birnie for MPM
Musical authors and progressive giants Coheed & Cambria have joined with early Punk Hardcore trio Thrice and brought a spectacle that was everything you could dream of.
Support for the whole tour was Touche Amore and although not my cup of tea(yes, I know, what a British thing to say) they were explosive from the moment they took the stage.
The boys were on early but I was both delighted and shocked to see an already full hall. Only earlier this week I had complained about a show where hardly anyone was in attendance for the first band. Irrespective of what your thoughts are we should support every band from opener to headliner.
They opened with “Come Heroine” and as much as I knew I was not going to enjoy the music I loved the show. Jeremy Bolm the singer was a firecracker and put 100% into the show as he done his 10,000 steps and more for the day in that half hour.
Being October “New Halloween” slotted in well and the band were getting a great response from the front and they were holding the rest of the crowd in the hall and away from the bar…and in Glasgow that is one hell of a win.
They finished their eight song set with the more mellow starting “Flowers and you” and as much as the guys would not be my pick I had stayed and watched the whole set and I was definitely entertained. Check the band out and make your own mind up.
I got into Thrice back in 2002. I was diving back into my punk roots back in those days…doing anything to get away from Grunge and album The Illusion of Safety just blew me away and I never looked back. I think back to that album and I look at the band in front of me tonight and the difference is hard to fathom.
These boys from Irvine(I wonder if they have visited the Scottish city of the same name not too far away) have been on a hell off a journey and the difference from the early shows in the likes of The Glasgow Garage are really unrecognisable.
The band opened with “The Color of the Sky” from their most recent release(available on vinyl in the merch stall) with all its backing tracks and just Dustin Kensrue on vocals sets the bar which is exceptionally high all night.
Another track from album Horizons / East in “Scavengers” is up next and on this huge stage with the stunning light show it is building the whole experience into something almost biblical.
There is a huge cheer from behind me in the Photo pit as the opening chords of “The Artist in the Ambulance” busts forth and the crowd are transported back to 2003 and it is joyous.
The band tear through songs new and old and we are forced through a journey of a band as well as ourselves. All those moments we have shared, the highs and the lows until we got to the highlight for me.
“Beyond the Pines” was just sublime. I had moved to the back of the hall and the sound was beautiful. This venue is fast becoming one of my favourites in this city. For some reason Rock / Metal shows do not end up here very often but it is moments like this song makes me crave for more. The sound is outstanding no matter where you stand, the lights are brilliant for photographers and it has built itself up as a hub of music now.
Thrice were just out of this world tonight, they combined past and present to perfection and thrilled a sold out audience.
Headliner for tonight is Coheed and Cambria. I do not suspect there are many here tonight who are just passing fans. The band seem to garner a following the likes of Lord of the Rings and Games of Thrones and to be honest they fit well there. This band does not just play music, no, they weave stories that are underlined and accompanied by music.
The band took to the stage to a haunting piano tinged intro as the huge backdrop to album cover Vaxis act 2 was lit up above Josh Eppard. We then get the spoken intro on “Dark Sentencer” and our book has opened onto the first chapter of tonight.
The crowd are chanting in time to the hey as we get the first installment from Vaxis which is followed quickly with “Beautiful Losers”. I find a Coheed gig is very similar to a Blues show. There is less craziness as the punters want to take in every moment, every nuance of the Amory Wars. That and the fact that these guys are outstanding musicians.
“Shoulders” is up next and its heavy assed funk gets the band kicking off and in between Claudio Sanchez’s headbanging we get to see glimpses of his face under that curtain of curls.
Tonight is just a showcase for Prog genius and for me the highlights were the beautiful “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth” and “Window of the Waking World”. The lengthy numbers just draw you in, steal your world and replace it with one from the stars.
An incredible performance by incredible performers with such a focused and individual path in these days of easy options.
