Blink 182

Brand New

Gyroscope

Festival Hall

It’s always interesting to gauge a show by the crowd it draws, and in Blink 182’s case, there was a sea of bad T-shirts, the odd chain, and a lot of youthful exuberance to behold whilst standing in line outside Festival Hall. The kids were out in force for a band who, for many, define what is to be a teenager, and I must say, it made me hearken back to when I first listened to Dude Ranch, thinking it was awesome. Sure, two months later I came to my senses and haven’t since referred to another Blink album in the positive. But they’re almost cultural icons now, and I’m always curious to see if bands can become good again, and the signs are there with their latest album that they may be on the path to decentness again.

That said, Gyroscope have got to be one of the best bands this country has produced in while. A massive wall of sound, brilliantly written tunes, coupled with an At The Drive In-esque explosiveness on stage made for a veritable feast of power and energy as Gyroscope proved yet again (after being the best band on the Thursday/Poison The Well bill) that they deserve every accolade being heaped upon them.

Brand New, however, really disappointed. Their second album, DejaEntendu, is stunning, and I was expecting much more. Yet Jesse Lacey’s vocals took on a nasally pop/punk characteristic, when his usual neither-whisper-nor-shout is what makes this band so good. Their sound was messy, and you could only glimpse the true brilliance behind the songs through a terrible vocal mix. Plus lead guitarist Vin couldn’t really kill his backing, and collectively, the vocals, bad mix and general all round-messiness didn’t do this band justice. The kids still loved it though.

To a massive Mexican wave that was more reminiscent of the ‘G than Festival Hall, Blink made their appearance, and from the outset, they were good. Simple as that. They tore through What’s My Age Again, and a whole bunch of tunes from their latest album, including the first single, Feelin This, as well as I Miss You, Go, Violence and Obvious, all of which were passable. Their new stuff makes me hope that they’re in a transitory period, and that their next album will be pure killer. Rockshow, and All The Small Things were highlights, and as big a mosh pit as there has ever been at Festival Hall erupted, after the perfunctory Last Song as the opening bars of Damnit finished off the show as a nice encore. It was an enjoyable evening, and through potty humour and a fun filled show, Blink 182 proved exactly why the kids still love ‘em.

Jaymz Clements