Where death is most alive

I went to see Dark Tranquillity with Insomnium and Cypher16 at the Underworld last night and I had a lot to say about it, so I thought I'd share my wise and well-informed opinions with the rest of the world.

First of all - Cypher16. J hates the name, but I don't think it's so bad, although numbers with any name just make it look like a bad email handle. Terror 2000 remain my exception to the rule, because I love that band :D

So, crappy name...and crappy band, for me at least. I think they have a lot of potential and some people may well think what they're doing is cool already, but they were not my cup of tea at all. If I'm honest, I checked them out on MySpace, decided I didn't like them and so only bothered to turn up right at the end of their set. A little unfair, but I'm hardly Lady Justice.

Moving on...Insomnium fucking RULED. They owned that place; every song was awesome. It's the second time I've seen them and both times they've blown me away - I'm not saying they're technically the best or they have the best sound or whatever, but overall, they are one of my favourite live acts. They had a lot of fans there, which was great to see and they had an incredible atmosphere for a relatively unknown band here in the UK. I got one of their albums after I saw them the first time and didn't think much of it, but I'm definitely going to try again. If not then hey, I only like Immortal live, there's nothing wrong with that.

Dark Tranquillity were really really good, despite a few technical difficulties, but overall, I think Insomnium won the day. DT are one of my favourite bands, but in terms of what they play they can be very hit and miss. More than half their set was songs I really didn't care for at all - although the upsides were two from The Gallery (my favourite album - they played the title track and Punish my Heaven) and ended with Terminus, for me the setlist wasn't that great. My highlight would have to be Punish my Heaven as it's one of my favourite songs ever.

The other highlight of the night, I have to say, was Michael Stanne himself. Obviously I don't know him, but he comes across as a really, really nice guy. There was a lot of crowd interaction - he surfed, didn't mind holding hands or holding out the mic to people and generally seemed incredibly happy and at ease with everything. At the end he said the band were going to be at the merch stand and would be sticking around for a couple drinks after the show, which is great to hear from a band that's big enough to get away without doing that shit nowadays.

In terms of venue, I'd say they could have done with a bigger place. The Underworld is small and has many pillars and last night was probably the busiest I'd ever seen it. Even the merch stand could have done with more room - the bar just ain't big enough. Had the Astoria not been razed (bastards), that would have been a perfect venue, but without it, London's really lacking a great medium-sized venue. Last time DT played the UK it was at the stupidly small Barfly in Camden, so I don't know whether the band's management are too cautious with the bookings or just undervalue their commercial appeal, but I'd say they could easily play Islington and with a little more advertising, they could even fill Brixton or Shepherd's Bush.

My final point - oh dear god, £4 a pint? I spent almost a tenner, wasn't even close to drunk then decided I couldn't possibly afford to get drunk. Doesn't make for a fun night, Underworld (and all you other venues charging stupid amounts for watery beer). Improve please!

Looks that Kill

M: i really wish dark tranquillity would get a better name/decent logo/decent cover art.....when i think of favourite bands in terms of how many albums i like etc. i think i like more DT than anyone else. i know they have a lot of releases, so in terms of number they beat a lot of other bands i like - but srsly, i like a huge percentage of their stuff....but their merch sucks!!! their logo is just their name in a font (or just the DT), like dimmu, and all their album covers are weird and rubbish or insanely emo looking. the only good stuff is septic broiler but they were pretty much a completely different band back then and i don't like any of the stuff they did.
sadness :(
maybe i should make my own stuff.

J: that's the same with Job for a Cowboy or any band or festival that sounds lame or has lame merch.
DT sounds like some goth band with a female singer... to me anyway. I understand picking a band name is not the easiest thing nowadays, but don't make yourself sound like a bunch of pussies.

M: yeah, it's such a shame because they've done some really great stuff. its one of the reasons i never bothered with them for ages - their singer looks like chad kroeger and everything else about them is pretty lame looking.........their 1995 album the gallery is one of my favourite ever albums. sux the image lets their material down - but here was have proof that image is important, not just the music

Seriously, can you tell them apart?

J: as you know, i like to let the music talk, but an ounce of image IS important. don't get too obsessed about it as that will end up probably affecting the band, but don't sell yourselves short as so to speak :)

M: haha, we're so fussy :) but it's true, for the perfect band, you need to have the right amount of image - too little and people won't bother with you 'cause you're not extreme enough or just not giving off the right signals......but too much and people get put off, or the image can take over completely - like bands with themes that i posted about yesterday.

J: can you imagine motley playing in jeans and a tee shirt back in the 80's? vince does now, but you couldn't of had that back them.
i mean say like crashdiet - you expect them to look a bit dressed up, not to just go onstage looking regular. but this can also fuck a band up if certain people think too much about the image and that's all they care about. that then means you need to gtfo of doing music, because you care too much about something that isn't really that major, although it is something that needs some attention, but not too much.
you feel me?

M: yeah i totally understand. music and live performances of music have always been about making a show and what you wear is part of the show. so that's always going to matter, because the visuals are just as important. if motley crue played what they played but wore and acted like sunn do - it would never have worked. you find an image that works and then go with it...but the bands that do that best are the ones who find stagewear and stage imagery that fits them at each point of their musical careers and let the image evolve with the band. if you become too stuck with one thing, it becomes costume and everyone knows that costumes mean you're a novelty and so no longer taken seriously. usually people's image just simply matures as they grow up so it seems natural, but some people seem quite easily led so they start looking unnatural for them - rob flynn and tommy lee being obvious perpetrators of this crime!

J: > rob flynn
nice frosted tips :) I don't care how he looks now, but he he's gone full circle after turning into an idiot during their nu metal phase, same with dez from devil driver. they both dress now in cut off tee shirts and wear them lame leather wristbands that are so lame i have no idea what they're for and neither do they!
but that aside, bands like GWAR and slipknot have to pretty much keep their costumes, bands that just have an image can freely alter and change it like how motley changed image on every album, but it's when you get a band that are anal about image that then gets in the way of the music and then you have a lame band.

M: >them lame leather wristbands....i have no idea what they're for and neither do they
don't be such a man, they don't need a purpose, they're just leather bracelets :p :)

>but that aside, bands like GWAR and slipknot have to pretty much keep their costumes
see they've both trapped themselves into looking like that and if they don't want to look like that anymore, it'll be a big deal whether people like or hate the idea of it