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| Dog Is Dead doing what they do best: Whipping the audience into a frenzy with their triumphant choral harmonies and complex yet catchy riffs! |
Dog Is Dead's Stoke-on-Trent debut was truly a night to remember. Both the headline act and their two support bands performed perfectly, and although it took a while to truly whip up the crowd and create an atmosphere, by the end of the night everybody had experienced something special.
Local heroes Moral Panics were first on the bill, performing their catchy blend of indie, pop and rock with an energy and musical prowess rarely seen in even some of the most successful bands. The three-piece stayed perfectly in time and in sync throughout, thanks to the remarkable skills of the trio's drummer and bassist respectively, with singer Dan Johnson's vocals and guitar work soaring above the songs' strong beats and basslines. Although the crowd only rose to a polite and reserved applause by the end of Moral Panics' set, the band without a doubt made a commendable and strong effort and I thoroughly recommend seeing the trio live.
Art-rock group Fiction were next, performing a bizarre and surreal set involving bin lids, water bottles, guitars and synthesisers which worked bizarrely and surreally well! Their music seems to be a cross between 80's electronica/synthpop vibes and Radiohead-esque experimental threads, with a Caribbean and African tribal flavour... It's literally impossible to accurately describe the sound of this band, but whatever it is, it works. The band succeeded in getting the audience emotionally and physically involved in the music, creating a strange, hypnotic cocoon of sound which was both complex enough to keep the crowd fixated for the whole of their set, but with a strong enough pulse to get the room dancing, moving and grooving for the first time of the night.
And then the headliners took to the stage. Dog Is Dead (see left) were the icing on the musical cake - at first the crowd admittedly seemed a bit reluctant, perhaps bemused a little by the great contrast between Fiction's calm vibes and Dog Is Dead's upbeat, energetic pop/indie tunes. However, the performance of 2010 single Young was without doubt the turning point of the night. With every chorus of this fantastic song, the audience became more and more engaged and by the song's anthemic conclusion the crowd were wild and hungry for more. The rest of the set went down a storm, from the calm, placid moments which sent the audience into a slow, relaxed groove to the pitch-perfect 5-way-harmony choruses which resulted in the happiest mosh pits I've ever seen and a number of adrenaline-fuelled crowd surfers. The audience were well and truly in the palm of their collective hand.
I can honestly say that this gig was one of the best I've ever been to. If you happen to see Moral Panics, Fiction or Dog Is Dead live you won't be disappointed, with all working in harmony (excuse the pun!) tonight to create a fun, refreshing Friday night atmosphere which none of the lucky audience members present will be likely to forget anytime soon!
Rock on,
PsyD
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Check out Moral Panics at:
www.facebook.com/moralpanicsband
Fiction at:
www.myspace.com/fictionlondon
And Dog Is Dead at:
www.dogisdead.co.uk
