So this is what they’ve all the eager Feeder fans have been waiting for; queuing up in the freezing cold with leaves blowing round their feet in the nervous anticipation of seeing the incredible Grant Nicholas and Co tearing up the stage with their well-known Indie anthems.
Firstly, is it only me or does everyone else seem to always get stuck behind the tallest person in the entire venue when you go to a gig? There’s only so much a 5’5†girl can see when she leaves her killer heels at home in order to survive a standing gig! Luckily I was in for a real treat as these three ‘gentlemen’ that came and stood right in front of me kindly asked me if I wanted to stand in front of them so I could see what was happening… why don’t they make men like that (who are my age) anymore?)
The venue was packed with people of all ages, and to be honest, most of the crowd seemed to be over the age of 30, so I didn’t really expect much pushing and shoving… just a nice, relaxed and enjoyable gig…and oh how wrong I was - well not about the enjoyable part!
The lights go down and the fans go mental, there’s a surge of movement as everyone surges to get that little bit closer to their heroes for the night, hands are clapping furiously and cameras begin to flash… and all this before the guys have even taken to the stage!
When they hit the stage I thought the room was going to explode; whether it was the sight of the guys, or the fact that they all have colour co-ordinating red and black outfits on I don’t really know, but nevertheless; off we went, on a wonderful musical ride.
Their stage set up was exactly the same as Fightstar and I found myself wondering why such a big band had what was an essentially boring stage set up. Their opening song was also pretty slow and I wasn’t the only one who was looking around and wondering what the hell was going on.
But those cheeky little tricksters had an ace up their sleeves,; as they launch into Feeling a Moment the black curtains at the back of the stage drop to reveal huge floodlights behind the guys and once again, the crowd go wild.. I mean come on guys - it’s just a couple of lights - but it seems as though Feeder can’t do anything wrong tonight, and with the fans screaming the words back at the tops of their lungs I’m sure there are going to be some sore voices in the morning.
By the time we get to the third song the lights turn into animation displays and this really gets my attention, I’ve never been to a concert quite like it - granted most of the gig’s I go to are in tiny pubs and full of sweaty hardcore dancing… so for this I felt like I should be sipping on some champers rather than a pint of cider in a plastic cup. It’s all very impressive and I’m sure they’ve spent a couple of quid on these fancy effects.
However, this doesn’t really have any effect on the music as Come Back Around is delivered flawlessly and I’m sure these boys have been practising! I get the feeling that these guys could be playing in your garden shed and still be utterly bloody brilliant. But with anthemic tracks like this; who cane really blame them?
They don’t just stick to their new stuff either, each song is from a different album, ranging from their first really successful offering of Echo Park to Comfort in Sound and Pushing The Senses as well as their newest hit; Silent Cry; which was released in June and whose logo (a bird of prey in flight) can be seen adorning the drums, and the LED display as well as the numerous bags and tee’s for sale in the foyer.
When they bring out We Cant Rewind from Echo Park we see the crowd really begin to move and get into their stride, as the rock hands come out for the chorus and a an older couple on the balcony stands up and pulls out their best moves… loved it!
It’s surprising how they can move so effortlessly from a up tempo song into a slower one and the crowd changes attitudes too; gone are the rock hands and in their place guys put a protective arm around their girlfriends and it’s clear that Feeder have sung many a couple’s ‘Our Song.’ It makes me slightly disappointed that I’m there and unattached, but I’m sure Grant Nicholas just looked right at me… so that could all be about to change!
When we head back to the predecessor of Echo Park; Yesterday Went Too Soon and the infectious Insomnia which sees the adorable Taka Hirose bopping around in his own little corner of the stage - however, the band still don’t seem to be interacting with each other - it’s almost like they are all playing their own parts without bothering too much about what the others are up to.
The huge floodlights finally kick into life as they guys rock out Pushing The Senses and the hardcore fans right at the front must be left completely blinded but they really don’t seem to care are they jump around and chant along… it’s just so lovely to watch and part of me wished I was dwn there with them, but after going to the bar and finding boys covered in sweat and looking worse for wear the temptation leaves me and I instead reach for my body spray and give them a squirt - because I’m nice like that!
They play a couple more songs from their latest album before finally give the crowd what they have been waiting for; Buck Rogers. As soon as the first bar is played the room lets out a huge roar and bounces up qand down as one… and here I was thinking their feet had been nailed to the floor!
Every word is wonderfully fed back to Grant and he can’t get enough and the band finally spring into life and dance around like this is their final night or life and they have to give it their all. With it being their most famous hit, there’s no surprise that the lovely boys from Wales really go for it and give everyone what they’ve paid for. That song is worth the ticket price alone.
Afterwards it’s like being in that ‘snuggle’ stage after sex, you feel warm and fuzzy and they can do no wrong for the next half a hour as you bask in the glory of what you’ve just experienced and with that the rest of the night passes with a warm glow and I as I leave I don’t feel the bitter cold or the rain smacking me in the face because Feeder have given me all I need to get through the night!
Check out our review of Fightstar here
FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison
So this is what they’ve all the eager Feeder fans have been waiting for; queuing up in the freezing cold with leaves blowing round their feet in the nervous anticipation of seeing the incredible Grant Nicholas and Co tearing up the stage with their well-known Indie anthems.
Firstly, is it only me or does everyone else seem to always get stuck behind the tallest person in the entire venue when you go to a gig? There’s only so much a 5’5†girl can see when she leaves her killer heels at home in order to survive a standing gig! Luckily I was in for a real treat as these three ‘gentlemen’ that came and stood right in front of me kindly asked me if I wanted to stand in front of them so I could see what was happening… why don’t they make men like that (who are my age) anymore?)
The venue was packed with people of all ages, and to be honest, most of the crowd seemed to be over the age of 30, so I didn’t really expect much pushing and shoving… just a nice, relaxed and enjoyable gig…and oh how wrong I was - well not about the enjoyable part!
The lights go down and the fans go mental, there’s a surge of movement as everyone surges to get that little bit closer to their heroes for the night, hands are clapping furiously and cameras begin to flash… and all this before the guys have even taken to the stage!
When they hit the stage I thought the room was going to explode; whether it was the sight of the guys, or the fact that they all have colour co-ordinating red and black outfits on I don’t really know, but nevertheless; off we went, on a wonderful musical ride.
Their stage set up was exactly the same as Fightstar and I found myself wondering why such a big band had what was an essentially boring stage set up. Their opening song was also pretty slow and I wasn’t the only one who was looking around and wondering what the hell was going on.
But those cheeky little tricksters had an ace up their sleeves,; as they launch into Feeling a Moment the black curtains at the back of the stage drop to reveal huge floodlights behind the guys and once again, the crowd go wild.. I mean come on guys - it’s just a couple of lights - but it seems as though Feeder can’t do anything wrong tonight, and with the fans screaming the words back at the tops of their lungs I’m sure there are going to be some sore voices in the morning.
By the time we get to the third song the lights turn into animation displays and this really gets my attention, I’ve never been to a concert quite like it - granted most of the gig’s I go to are in tiny pubs and full of sweaty hardcore dancing… so for this I felt like I should be sipping on some champers rather than a pint of cider in a plastic cup. It’s all very impressive and I’m sure they’ve spent a couple of quid on these fancy effects.
However, this doesn’t really have any effect on the music as Come Back Around is delivered flawlessly and I’m sure these boys have been practising! I get the feeling that these guys could be playing in your garden shed and still be utterly bloody brilliant. But with anthemic tracks like this; who cane really blame them?
They don’t just stick to their new stuff either, each song is from a different album, ranging from their first really successful offering of Echo Park to Comfort in Sound and Pushing The Senses as well as their newest hit; Silent Cry; which was released in June and whose logo (a bird of prey in flight) can be seen adorning the drums, and the LED display as well as the numerous bags and tee’s for sale in the foyer.
When they bring out We Cant Rewind from Echo Park we see the crowd really begin to move and get into their stride, as the rock hands come out for the chorus and a an older couple on the balcony stands up and pulls out their best moves… loved it!