Will Marshall
It’s a shame so few people are in for Static Dress, who are on just fifteen minutes after doors open. They deliver an energetic set regardless, chock full of their emo-flecked post hardcore that veers between soaring choruses, pained screams and screeching electronic interludes. Despite it being “early as shit” with a sparse (but steadily growing) crowd, it’s an impassioned performance from a promising band who will surely keep going from strength to strength.
Opening with the cathartic ‘Alive’ from last year’s acclaimed The Greatest Mistake Of My Life, Holding Absence command attention immediately, frontman Lucas Woodland a larger than life presence onstage with his self-professed “big emo lungs”. The crowd has swelled noticeably even before they take to the stage and the roar that greets them would make you think they’re tonight’s headliners. Despite being only two albums into their career they’ve got nothing but hits, with an early set ‘Like A Shadow’ into ‘Beyond Belief’ feeling transcendent and inviting huge singalongs. Ash Green might just be one of rock’s most underrated and versatile drummers, lending a gravitas and exuding star power even with a kit in front of him. Closing on a rousing ‘Afterlife’ and arresting ‘Wilt’, we’re truly witnessing the unstoppable rise of one of British rock’s best bands.
It’s a tough act to follow but if anyone can do it, it’s Funeral For A Friend. They’ve been absent for too long and, after two long years of waiting and rescheduled gigs, they take to the stage for their first of two nights at the sold out Electric Brixton. Opener ‘All The Rage’ proves they’re exactly that, sounding as if they’d never been away. Continuing their opening run with ‘Juneau’ and ‘Rookie Of The Year’, they practically don’t need singer Matt Davies-Kreye with the sheer volume of the gathered throng singing every word in unison. ‘Streetcar’ elicits one of the most raucous cheers and singalongs of the night so far – that is, until ‘Monster’ erupts like Yellowstone. Their songs are iconic at this point, woven into the tapestry of British rock – especially the South Wales scene – and people’s lives. They regularly bask in the glow of the crowd, and who can blame them? Nostalgia runs strong tonight though some hairlines may have receded too much for the floppy fringe to make a comeback (with a few notable exceptions). With both a backdrop and setlist made up of the first three albums Casually Dressed…, Hours & Tales Don’t Tell Themselves, it’s a celebratory show of just why their diehard fans have stuck by this band in all their time away. By the time they close on the trifecta of ‘Into Oblivion (Reunion)’, ‘Roses For The Dead’ and ‘History’, the crowd are practically drowning out the band.