Heading back to the University Of Central Lancashire's student union almost three years after graduating from the same institution was always going to be a bit of a weird one… I remembered the happy times (mostly drunken) spent in that place, and was wondering where the past few years of my life had gone…
You see, a Twin Atlantic gig can do that to you. They might be a rock band, but they still have a meaningfulness to their lyrics that make you reflect and wonder how your life might have been different had you taken another route.
Anyway, my own reflection over and here I was, stood in this garish, industrial-type room which hasn't changed one bit since my days as a student, watching local boys Population Four tearing up their set. You could tell from the energy in the room, their home crowd have a lot of love and respect for these guys, feeding back each word to Rick and friends, their own hometown heroes.
Main support came from Straight Lines, who I wish I could say I liked - because they were quite god at the beginning - nut I got bored of after about four songs. I don’t know whether it was the strained pseudo-American accent they were singing in or what, but I think they just need a little more work before they're ready to kick some ass.
By the time it was Twin Atlantic's turn to take to the stage I was skint (£1.80 for a bottle of water and the bartender didn’t even bother to give me my change from £2) and I had pretty much spoken to everyone in the venue whom I had met prior to leaving person in 2008.
Thankfully though, the boys didn’t disappoint - they never do - and rallied through a set full of tracks from their 2009 release Vivarium, as well as a couple from their forthcoming album Free and not forgetting, a few favourites from their debut EP A Guidance From Colour.
My personal favourite had to be "Lightspeed" and "A Guidance From Colour," both which were played whilst my friend had wandered off somewhere, so I was left singing along and dancing around like a nutter on day release.
Its easy to see why these guys were compared to Biffy Clyro in the early days, but over the past few years they have really come into their own, and offer a sound and swagger that is truly incomparable to anyone else…
Hardly surprising then, that Frank Ierohand-picked them to support My Chemical Romance on their 2010 UK tour, besides, you wouldn’t catch Simon Neil hurling an empty bottle of beer at a wall…. Yes, Ross McNae, I saw you.
FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison
Tagged in Twin Atlantic