Alexisonfire @ Eastpak Antidote Tour + Interview

The ethos of punk dictates that small, sweatbox venues, with no room to swing a strat, deliver the best brutal intimacy. It would be all too easy for that sense of band-fan cohesion to be lost in the deep, dingy corners and towering, upper-seated deck of the formidably sized Forum.

After eight years working under a band name coined after the worlds only lactating contortionist porn star, Alexisonfire’s English fan base is lapping it up more than ever. “England is our home away from home” professes lead vocalist George Pettit, before dropping into Waterwings, a song from their distant self-titled debut released in 2001.

Touring earlier this year on the release of their fourth studio album – Old Crows/Young Cardinals – means the filtration of the newer material into the set is taking pride of place. Pettit has taken a new direction with his vocals, leaning more towards a Henry Rollins’esque, hardcore aggressive shouting style. Despite the frosty reception from fans upon its release, tonight there isn’t much on the set which isn’t vociferously received.

Alexisonfire display their persistent drive of the new record tonight by opening with newbie Heading For The Sun. Most of the crowd remain tight-lipped and static at first, not entirely sure of the lyrics, awaiting the arrival of some older material for sing-along value. However there’s a palpable sense of pride the band holds with their new album, filling nearly half the set with newer songs, trying to force feed fans with their new found maturity.

Young Cardinals, the first release from their latest record, is played with tenacity and seething passion. The crowd pounces on the song, snatching the opportunity to sing along to guitarist/vocalist Dallas Green’s harmonious chorus.

Tonight the Canadian five-piece seize the stage, utilising it as a platform to torrent their relentless energy and passion to the sold-out venue – the lingering cloud of B-O vapour above the fans serving a true testament to this.

Three songs stand from their first two records. Accidents is homage to their more post-hardcore orientated sound and they couldn’t afford not to play this song. But the pizzazz and zeal that is enthusiastically portrayed with new songs like Old Crows, is weak and feeble when playing older songs, love undoubtedly lost into the ether after innumerable plays.

Also here’s my interview I had with them on that night, thrown in for good measure.

Bring Me The Horizon

I had me first phoner interview the other day. It was Oli Sykes of BMTH – a rather controversial figure in the metal music scene since their breakthrough album ‘Count Your Blessings‘ in 2006. There was that whole unwarranted golden shower incident at Nottingham Rock City a couple of years back, and let’s be honest – we’ll never know if this actually happened – if he did do it then she should be grateful it wasn’t a Cleveland steamer.

Anyway, I was set for the interview with the sketchiest set up ever to record – phone on loud speaker + recording equipment set to record from internal mic = Sketchy. As. Fuck.

I wasn’t so much worried about the interview, just the quality of the recording and whether it would be transcriptional. I even topped up £15 on my phone as I was aware that he was in the land of kraut, despite not really being able to justify spending that much money at a time when my bank balance arsehole feels violated. The phone call ended up costing me 50p.

“Hello” – and so I proceeded to ask if it was “Oliver” – “Yeah, who’s this” – he sounded as enthusiastic as a blind person on November 5th. When I told him I was press he seemed to chirp up a little, I have an inkling they’re trying to revamp his image via interviews (a recent Kerrang! interview highlights my point perfectly). He actually came across as a really sound guy, not arrogant, more… simple.

In all I’d say that it was one of the easier interviews I’v done, only lasting about 10 minutes but got some quotable shit from it. Worth 50p anyway.

Read it here.

D