The Fall Of Troy with Twin Atlantic and Chickenhawk; Relentless Garage, London 21st November 2009
Opening tonight’s show is Leeds boys Chickenhawk. Crazy name I thought, crazy name but an alright sound despite being slightly repetitive. This is a band well suited to opening for The Fall Of Troy, sounding similar enough in style but with their own definite individuality shining through. Some of the breakdowns in their songs were particularly impressive, and they had an admirable stage presence for such a new band. Chickenhawk definitely got heads nodding along, and guitarist Robert Stephens decided to take a little walk around the venue, whilst still playing, which was a nice bit of something different. Their last track [insert name here] was by far the best, showing some great promise for the future.
Up next was Scotland’s Twin Atlantic. In the worst bit of band booking I have experienced in a long time, as Twin Atlantic brought the mood down from the fast paced beats of Chickenhawk into a very Glasvegas indie feeling melody based place. Their fans had come out tonight to show their support, and they certainly gained more fans tonight as well, but I personally couldn’t help but feel they were out of place. If I had wanted to hear this type of indie, I wouldn’t have chosen The Fall Of Troy’s show to do it at. My interest in Twin Atlantic was only stirred slightly when vocalist Sam McTrusty answered back at a heckler with the quick witted snap of a true Scot.
When The Fall Of Troy took to the stage the atmosphere in the refurbished Garage took a more energetic turn. Hoots and hollars emerged from the crowd during sound check and it was obvious from then that this would be one hell of a show. As the set began what hit me immediately was the sheer awesome technical ability of each musician. For a three piece, this band are loud and impressive, and their fans are die hards. Vocalist Tom Erak’s piercing voice could have taken a rest for the entire set and the fans would have sung every song word perfect for the entire evening. My own personal highlight of the night was Erak’s solo version of the track “Caught Up”. This not only showed the man’s technical ability on a guitar off to perfection (I think my jaw actually dropped at one point), but highlighted a performer so in tune with his audience that despite the occasional interlude, the song was almost a duet of artist and appreciator. Kicking back into some of their older albums the show was electric with an energy level through the roof and a good time for all those die hards and newbies (such as myself) present.
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