The Early November (Boston Music Rooms, 18.3.17)
Ace Enders and his band make a welcome return to these shores to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of their ambitious three disc concept record "The Mother, The Mechanic and The Path". Their show tonight was downgraded from the Dome in Tufnell Park to the Boston Music Rooms. A disappointment I'm sure but if you have a sister venue available downstairs, it's much better to have 150 people in a 250 capacity room then have the atmosphere suffer in a space for 500. Or it would be if a decent proportion of those people weren't unbearable fuck-knuckles. I'll return to that subject in a future blog.
Dryjacket are keen to stress that their name is a reference to Back To The Future II and not some sort of sexual innuendo, although a cursory Google provides no clues with regards to the latter. They hail from New Jersey and play alternative rock, much like tonight's headliners. The similarities end there in a set that's inoffensive but uninspired. I have come to appreciate how unfair it is to review support acts, given my lack of familiarity with their work on the majority of occasions. Quite often I could just say "Not my thing" and it would mostly cover it.
One thing that struck me watching The Early November tonight is precisely how strong many of the songs on TMTMATP are. Much of the opening hour of tonight's set comes from the "The Mechanic", the heavy rock record of the three. The salvo of the foot stomping "Money In His Hand into "Rest Of My Life" is especially terrific as the sound crashes through the room. Second disc "The Mother" is a good deal more mellow and contemplative, with "No Good At Saying Sorry (One More Chance)*" providing a change in tone.
The show's second half sees the band roll through "the hits", whilst stopping to remind us that their new stuff is pretty good too. "Narrow Mouth" off their most recent record "Imbue" possesses an absolutely enormous chorus, for example. I first heard "I Want To Hear You Sad" when I was about 14 years old and its appearance tonight is a rich nostalgic pleasure. Though the lyrics "For all of this, I'm better off without you, do you regret your loneliness?" is about as emo as it gets. On their last visit, Ace brought over something of a makeshift band but tonight saw the original lineup's return and they've clearly benefitted from an extended stint of playing these songs in the US last year.
My main conclusion that the end of a mammoth 1 hour, 45 minute set is that The Early November are a fine live band who deserve a bigger and better audience.
*There is a Grey's Anatomy episode title which is a direct lift of this, right down to the brackets. Odd.
Dryjacket are keen to stress that their name is a reference to Back To The Future II and not some sort of sexual innuendo, although a cursory Google provides no clues with regards to the latter. They hail from New Jersey and play alternative rock, much like tonight's headliners. The similarities end there in a set that's inoffensive but uninspired. I have come to appreciate how unfair it is to review support acts, given my lack of familiarity with their work on the majority of occasions. Quite often I could just say "Not my thing" and it would mostly cover it.
One thing that struck me watching The Early November tonight is precisely how strong many of the songs on TMTMATP are. Much of the opening hour of tonight's set comes from the "The Mechanic", the heavy rock record of the three. The salvo of the foot stomping "Money In His Hand into "Rest Of My Life" is especially terrific as the sound crashes through the room. Second disc "The Mother" is a good deal more mellow and contemplative, with "No Good At Saying Sorry (One More Chance)*" providing a change in tone.
The show's second half sees the band roll through "the hits", whilst stopping to remind us that their new stuff is pretty good too. "Narrow Mouth" off their most recent record "Imbue" possesses an absolutely enormous chorus, for example. I first heard "I Want To Hear You Sad" when I was about 14 years old and its appearance tonight is a rich nostalgic pleasure. Though the lyrics "For all of this, I'm better off without you, do you regret your loneliness?" is about as emo as it gets. On their last visit, Ace brought over something of a makeshift band but tonight saw the original lineup's return and they've clearly benefitted from an extended stint of playing these songs in the US last year.
My main conclusion that the end of a mammoth 1 hour, 45 minute set is that The Early November are a fine live band who deserve a bigger and better audience.
*There is a Grey's Anatomy episode title which is a direct lift of this, right down to the brackets. Odd.
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