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Metric
w/ Blood Red Shoes
The Fleece, Bristol
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| Blood
Red Shoes take to the stage for some well drilled and
well loud guitar/drum girl/boy yelp rock that cuts through the audience
and captivates suitably in order to generate interest and pleasure as a
support band should. The fact that they are way too loud to listen to comfortably
without fashioning some sort of ear defence from a tissue/flyer/rail ticket
is indicative of the discomfort that the opening 30 minutes of this evening
bestowed upon the audience trying damn hard to hear one of the UK’s
up and comers. If any other band were on the stage that didn’t have
the captivating array of songs and oh so accomplished technical drumming,
awe inspiring drum fill after another being watched by open mouthed music
nerds and fellow appreciators of this exciting prospect of a band with |
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sheer
glee, it would have been game over from song 1. The pair are so at ease
with their songs and each other, it is as if they have been rehearsing together
in utero. The yappy vocals and shouty backings are intense from the onset,
in a set that covers the ground of new single ‘Try Harder’ to
a rapturous close with ‘ADHD’.
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| A
retreat to the bar between Blood Red Shoes and Metric
for liquid replenishment and to get accustomed to my new lifelong friend,
Tinnitus, sees the venue, with all its rural yet located in a city charm
swell to capacity and for Metric to take to the stage in a manner best described
as-stealthily. And they go straight for the jugular with an explosive and
brooding ‘Empty’. “Shake your head its empty” and
so the crowd do, like the putty in her hands that she manipulates so ably.
Emily Haines; resplendent, beautiful (and still looking great sporting the
national symbol of Canada-a long chin) not to mention blessed with the voice
of an angel that makes Charlotte Church sound like Bernard Manning belting
out Pie Jesu, is on tip top form. Iconic as she is within the Canada indie
band movement that is still by far and away |
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| THE
greatest and most intelligent and intricate music scene anywhere in the
world right now, Haines is NOT the band. This is not a showcase of Emily
Haines carrying her band. Metric are an almighty sum of parts to make one
bloody great big whole. Playing in small venues such as The Fleece, is perhaps
below where they would expect to be right now, given their status in homeland
Canada but that is inevitably set to change come February, having secured
an lucrative support slot on the sold out Bloc Party tour in the UK. A rare
playing of first album gem ‘Hustle Rose’ is a pleasant surprise
that is received well by the crowd who are in |
fine
sing along form. The church of Metric is an evangelical one.
The run through of songs on
this their final night of their whirlwind tour of the UK offers a generous
mix of new and old material. ‘Monster Hospital’ through to
the ever expansive ‘Dead Disco’, complete with bass player
Josh Winstead grooving away nicely in unadulterated abandon with guitarist
Jimmy Shaw, the ease and tightness of it all is overwhelming and a pleasure
to behold and enough to quench any ardent Metric fans lust until next
time.
Review & Photography
by James Ainsworth |
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