It’s been 15 years (can you believe it) since ‘Anthology’ was released by Riverside CA 4 piece Rock/Punk outfit Alien Ant Farm and there’s no better place to get intimate and personal with the fans then a sold out show at The Waterfront Norwich.
Up first is steadily rising Welsh Alt Rock/Pop set-up The Dirty Youth, front woman Danni Monroe has a certain presence about her. The rock and roll attitude she personifies in her stage mastery is unmistakable in every corner of the venue. As a rule crowds tend to be anxious towards the first band up, a certain hesitation to get moving and even though the crowd only really responded with a few head nodding here and there, the band weren’t going to be denied and kept true to their own until their time was up. Sound-wise, if we take the song ‘Fight’ as the best example, its hard hitting rock and roll with pop melodies thrown in to be kind to everyone’s palette. The live version really bringing across a raw aggressive edge to the band and they use this to express themselves and bulldoze through the audience. Dani’s vocals never once let up during the whole performance and were a worthy adversary for the noise from the instruments a strong way to start the night even if the crowd were reluctant to commit.
Pretty exciting atmosphere as InMe graced the stage to quite an upheaval from the crowd, celebrities in their own right (although to the uninformed, they would seem like a new-ish up and coming band.) They bring with them familiar breakdowns, soft vocals and a ‘get partying’ attitude. Waking the crowd up from interval slumber, a soft, atmospheric intro leads into ‘Saccharine Arcadia’, a dark, heavy track with some crushing riffs and gut-busting drums. Towards the latter half of the song it begins to sound more like a possessed demon with Dave McPhearson’s screaming and constant battering of the microphone all juxtaposed with his soft, captivating, clean vocals. Judging by the crowd’s reaction after each song and the torrent of voices singing along with the words this performance certainly had the feeling of a headlining act. Their sound is an interesting mix of older sounding metal with newer melodic intervals and sometimes cheesy but nonetheless depressing lyrics, all of which has some sort of charm that people just take to, they sort of just get it and connect with the songs instantly. That being said, this charming youthful sound is then momentarily shredded in favour of more technically proficient instrumental work. There’s something in this band that everyone likes, you can’t quite put your finger on it, but that’s their beauty.
For 20 years Alien Ant Farm have been tearing up venues and festivals across the globe and tonight was a deeply personal celebration of the music of many individuals’ childhoods. Tonight was paying tribute to an album 15 years old and for many in the crowd, the importance of this was unforgettable. The band playing through ‘Anthology’ from start to finish a simple but priceless arrangement, everybody was dancing from the first chord of ‘Courage.’ A blackened sounding track with groove hooks which gets the crowd jumping. As soon as lead singer Dryden Mitchell asked the crowd how they were a simple anthemic roar worthy of the biggest stages in the world set the atmosphere for the night. ‘Movies’ coming keen in second, although it was obviously one of the winning tracks of the night, as one would expect. The vocal melody of that song echoing the nostalgia felt around the room and leads the crowd into a frenzied mania of sing-alongs and dancing. This band honestly felt as if they were hometown heroes returning after a long hiatus and Dryden was caught up in the moment thanking the crowd and stating he ‘never wanted to go home’ and ‘could’ve stayed forever.’ Having played these songs for 15 years that experience and musicianship really was spectacular the timing, the crisp sound this is definitely a top spot contender for one of the best live acts I’ve ever seen.
They brought this album to life in a live setting, and I honestly prefer their live show of the songs to the recorded versions there was an unmistakable x factor to this live setting. Instinctive guitar licks, expansive drums adding discrete percussive movements all while keeping the funk like groove of each song at a constant pace. The crowd was lost in this proficient and very fun rock show. With Dryden saying how much he wanted to hang out with everyone after the show, whether it was for pizza or jager shots he wanted to meet everyone and his honest, engaging words added a lot of meaning to this special occasion he had complete control of the crowd not just like a seasoned pro but also like a best friend. With the time passing like a blur it wasn’t long before we were at the encore the standard “walk of stage pretend it’s the end but not really” etiquette everyone knows, but that’s the point this band reminds you of why you fell in love with the alternative genres of rock and punk. The baying chants of “WE WANT MORE” the band coming back on and soaking up the last few minutes of the night and of course to play us out the song that got the band so much attention, building to the climax that gained them fame fifteen years ago. The crowd detonates as the chords of ‘Smooth Criminal’ are strung, the lead singer diving to and from the crowd. As the song finished and the band ended the show Alien Ant Farm left the stage having conquered Norwich.
Superb.
Words – Marc Allum
Photography – Kayleigh Warren
