Awolnation at The Arches 8/01/12

I'm leaning on a giant stage amp, smug grin on my face and flashing my photographers pass at the front row who are staring at me with curiosity. And by front row, I mean only row. The place hasn't filled up yet and it's not long until the band are due on stage.

This doesn't worry me, Awolnation are a new band with their first album only released last March. This is their first UK tour and I can already spot dedicated fans in the crowd. They seem to be older teenage boys which is fresh air compared to the usual tweenie girls at pop rock gigs. But this band is different, not just in its fan-base but in its style. The music is like nothing else because it's everything else jammed into one. There's techno, rock, soul, metal, pop, screamo. It's intense and different.

An American introduces himself to me, he's Kenny the keyboardist, and I'm charmed. A few moments later and the amp that I am leaning on begins to send riots of bass-lines and guitar riffs through my body and into the floor. It hits the crowd and I watch them come to life like a jolt from a musical defibrillator.

Whilst I'm busy taking close-ups of the band, I can't help but notice the love between the crowd and the performers. The front-man, Aaron Bruno, often leaves the limelight of the stage to sing with his crowd, hugging and grasping hands. I can see it in their eyes, that this music matters. That each song strums a different string inside them. It's a small crowd but it's full of heart and their singing fills every inch of this huge cave that is The Arches.

Near the end, Aaron announces that "this is the part where a band usually pretends to go off stage and waits for an encore. But we're going to forget that shit, cut the crap and just keep playing." If there's one thing I love in life it's when people keep it real. And this bands reeks of sincerity and a genuine respect for its fans.

Awolnation are charming, down to earth, surprising and different. And if a band could be a boy... then I can't help thinking that this is one I could fall in love with.

For a little taste of Awolnation, check out: Sail, Guilty Filthy Soul, Burn It Down, Not Your Fault. And for the encore: Knights of Shame.

Panic! At The Disco at Barrowlands 29/01/2012

It’s a young crowd tonight and by young I mean that Barrowland has been invaded by teenyboppers. Fourteen year old girls, in that awkward stage of rebelling and dressed in emo rock outfits, scurry about in packs of two or three. Excitement is scrawled across their faces, literally in neon paint. Some have indulged in a few sneaky vodkas disguised in water bottles, others are dressed in mime outfits and some are huddled under the wings of overprotective mothers. Older people are chilling at the back with a beer, some sing along to Panic! but the rest are just parents having a few drinks.

Predictably, Panic! come on stage just after nine and the crowd screams at a piercingly painful level. “Jeez, were we really loud at that age?!” I think we were but that’s why it was fun.

I remember hearing years ago that Panic spent all the ticket money on staging and pyrotechnics to make their first tour as dramatic as possible. So I’m disappointed at the shabby stage crammed with painted cardboard cut-outs that a five year old could have made. Although this does suggest a more down-to-earth Panic!, there are no fireworks and the whole set is far from exciting.

The band itself only has two original members; singer Brandon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith, who put on a good show with their “guest” musicians. Urie’s vocals have certainly come a long way since their first album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, and he proves this again and again with falsetto singing after every verse. Although impressive to start with, his high pitched squeals quickly become annoying.

The old school fans (like me) bounce into action when original songs are played but I am also quietly impressed by some of their new tunes. They are catchy and make for easy listening, but I can’t help thinking that they are setting a bad example for their young fans with songs like New Perspective (Google the lyrics). But I suppose their music has always been about sex which teenagers love so I can see where their thinking lies.

The show was entertaining, especially when the band took their tops off for a rendition of I Believe In A Thing Called Love by the Darkness. However I had this constant uneasiness as if I was intruding on a 12 year olds birthday party where the entertainment was far too adult for their ears. In the end, I spent more time reminiscing on being a tweenie at gigs than I did actually enjoying Panic! At The Disco’s performance.