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.
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