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Dog is Dead, Rock City, December 2011. Pic: David Baird |
Kagoule were fairly unknown until recently, and fortunately Tribes had to pull of playing tonight, earning them a support slot.Playing the biggest stage that they’ve ever played, they did look timid and barely spoke to the crowd, but still they engaged the hundreds of people that kept filtering in to the main hall.
Of the songs they played. Made of Concrete is a great mix of ethereal vocals and euphorically sweet guitar melodies, and is a track you'll want to hear again and again. Monarchy was made for a big stage like this complete with stomping drums and an attention-grabbing bassline. The great thing about their songs is that every one has something different going on. While some tracks show off their songwriting craft and indie pop melodies others have an almost punk lo-fi feel to to them.
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Kagoule, Rock City, December 2011. Pic: David Baird |
Tonight Kappa Gamma justified why they won the competition to support Dog is Dead by playing a faultless set, which made the first two rows, most of whom were wearing Bruce Forsyth masks, jump around to their math-pop melodies. If you thought you'd never see smiling wrinkled 83 year-old clones moshing at a gig, you were wrong. They came out to Green Eyes, a track with an infectious opening riff that has all the hallmarks of being a great single.
The combination of fast and complex riffs played with just the right amount of breathing space showed that they are strong songwriters. Wild Fires makes the crowd mosh, whilst Wentworth Villa has clearly become a live favourite. They leave the stage after playing a brilliant set that left you wanting more, and judging by the crowd's reaction they picked up a lot of new fans tonight.
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Kappa Gamma, Rock City, December 2011. Pic: David Baird |
It's clear that the majority of people are here to see the headliners. It’s a homecoming gig of sorts - after a year of appearing on TV, signing to Atlantic Records and playing numerous festivals and various venues around the UK. Within seconds of Dog is Dead coming on stage a sea of hands are waving from side to side, young girls are fighting for space and craning their necks, and the band members themselves are using up every ounce of energy they have. Young is an early highlight, whilst a key moment is their anthemic track Glockenspiel Song; everyone seems to know the words and it builds and builds until the crowd scream along, “We're a mess/We are failures/And we love it."
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Dog is Dead, Rock City, December 2011. Pic: David Baird |
It's clear that Dog is Dead have just given lots of teenage year old girls one of the nights of the lives and for the older chaps in the crowd, it's obvious they've got their money's worth of Nottingham talent. At the end there is a surge like a flock of geese to the merch table to get Dog is Dead autographs. After all the anticipation and excitement, the night was a blooming success and proved how much great music is being made in our city.
Dog Is Dead, Kappa Gamma and Kagoule played at Rock City on Satruday 17 December 2011.
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