CRIME IN STEREO!! LIVE!! AT LE PUB!!
I spent a week prior to this show listening exclusively to ‘I was Trying to Describe You To Someone’, ‘The Troubled Stateside’ and ‘Is Dead’ (in that order),
and needless to say, was ridiculously excited to bear witness to what was bound to be an incredible performance, particularly within the brilliant cramped confines
of le pub. What first struck me when this line up was announced was how diverse the 4 bands on the show really were, stretching across bludgeoning hardcore, via gritty punk n roll, finishing with CiS’ etheral post hardcore. Having said that, the bands clearly share a sense of DIY unity, which is why the show really worked at the end of the day.
Kicking off proceedings were CCHC’s CROSSBREAKER, fresh from a line up change, leaving this as the third, and in my opinion, strongest crossbreaker line up to date. With the addition of ex-Wraith guitarist Hywel, the band sound heavier than ever before, whilst maintaining the gritty sound and aggression that made their demo so good in the first place. Playing tracks from a forthcoming 7” release, alongside older tracks from both demo tapes, the band are on really great form, frontman Josh developing a particularly fierce onstage persona, leading some of my less hardcore-inclined friends to be genuinely afraid of what was going to happen. The Cursed-toned breakdown of Snakes still blows my mind. Get into this band!
Next up, my friends and the band I eternally talk about, SHARKS. These guys were up against it in the context of this show I think, having no hardcore influences and simply playing honest rock and roll inspired punk. Nevertheless, they give it their all, as they do every time I see them play, and continue to justify themselves in my eyes as one of the bands you have to keep an eye on, and expect huge things from. I personally enjoyed hearing excerpts from soon to be released EP ‘Show of Hands’, particularly the final track of said EP ‘glove in hand’ who’s haunting melodies and melancholy outro reminded me of something The Cure would have written in their heyday. Shallow Waters tracks sound as fierce as ever, and opener ‘Trains’ is bound to become a live favourite when someone smart funds the release of this EP. Trust me, if I had the money I’d be all over it! Finishing with the gang vocals and huge chorus of ‘It All Relates’, it was clear that sharks had won over a few sceptical minds within le pub.
Before the headliners took to the stage, Irish dance-punk mob WOUNDS took to the stage/floor/ceiling in an attempt to warm up the crowd. Sadly for them, their youves style punk bursts were poorly received, and it took them a while to really get into the swing of things. The first few tracks passed me by, and I was left wondering why these guys went on ahead of sharks. weird. However, a cover of ‘Search and Destroy’ by Iggy and the Stooges got me interested again (anyone who’s a stooges fan gets a second chance in my books) and their final song ‘dead dead fucking dead’ was a belter. I probably wouldn’t see them headline a show, but they brought a lot of energy to the stage, and fans of youves should check them out.
At long last, headliners and returning heroes (having played here several times previously) CRIME IN STEREO took to the stage. On the back of previously mentioned new album “I was trying to describe you to someone” the Long Island 5 piece have embraced a new and exciting direction, pushing their melodic hardcore to new heights. Live, they’re just as exciting a prospect. Playing a mix of new album material alongside the tracks from previous harder offerings, I was initially dubious as to how these slower and more melodic tracks would fit in
alongside tracks from troubled stateside-era CiS. In the end however, there was no need to worry, the set blended new and old flawlessly and was clearly planned out to appeal to both new and old fans, and hopefully introduce new converts to the finer cuts from is dead and stateside. The band were clearly having a great time, frontman Kristian dancing back and forth, interacting with those crowd members down by the stage, and really getting everyone going. My personal highlights were a rousing ‘Not Dead’, the idylicc ‘I am Everything I am Not’ and huge finisher ‘I, Stateside’ which got the biggest reaction from the crowd, and sounded just as fresh 4 years since its release. Crime In Stereo tonight proved that they’re a band who deserve to be playing much bigger shows than this, deserve far more critical acclaim than they currently receive, and will no doubt be getting both these things come the release of a fourth album!
All in all a great show, and you’re a sucker if you missed this.
