WHEN it comes to reviewing bands like Feeder there’s always
a nostalgic feeling someone my age usually gets.
I’m a fan of the band, but when I say “fan” I don’t mean one
of those “buy every t-shirt” types. I mean I like what they do, always
have and happy to see them live, no more so than when they played Belfast’s
Limelight on Monday (October 17th).
Feeder will always be one of those bands who just always
seem to be around. Never making too much noise but usually doing
something in the background – the true secret of their success. They’ve
garnered a really solid, loyal and growing fan base out of being the reliable
sort.
That’s not to say they don’t have their magical moments -
for someone who used to hold quite a crush on frontman Grant Nicholas I’ve
found myself at the centre of many heated arguments among friends who like and
dislike the band.
Headed up by Grant on vocals and Taka Hirose on bass, Feeder
have always had one live trait that I admired - no matter what musicians were
drafted in to play live or on their albums they’ve always been a solid, tight
band.
You might say that as a professional band they should be -
and you’d be right. But as we all know it’s not always the case. On
stage at the Limelight were a group of musicians that you could easily believe
had been playing together a lifetime.
On stage Feeder were flawless in their performance but one
thing I noticed this time, that I hadn’t noticed last time I saw them live (a
few moons ago) was that there wasn’t a lot of crowd interaction as there should
be.
The band opened the night with ‘Another Day on Earth’ from
their latest album ‘All Bright Electric’ (released July 2016), an indication of
was to be the template for the night: a classic sound with lots of new material
in there too.
This is a band which knows they’re trading on a lot of
nostalgia but who are keen to make sure their new material is well heard.
‘Universe of Life’ led nicely into an old classic Feeling A
Moment (Pushing The Senses) after which Grant paid tribute to local support act
R51.
When they announced ‘Pushing The Senses’ set the crowd wild,
as if things were finally going the way they wanted it to.
The thing about Feeder for me is that they straddle
confidently the lines between light grunge, indie and rock giving them a unique
but almost universal sound.
Despite a sound malfunction during ‘Pushing The Senses’
where the vocals couldn’t be heard at the front of the stage all was now right
in the Limelight world
Although if I’m honest - and this is something about Feeder
crowds - they were a little lifeless except for the diehards at the front.
But I wonder is that indicative of two things? The
fact that Feeder are one of those rock bands you can chill out to, but also the
kind of band that can make you feel inspired and energised all at once.
What I love about Feeder is that they’ve always been a
modest and simple band, free from the ego of contrived styling and elaborate
set design.
As most artists of these genres do they used a back wall
projector and lighting in an unassuming but effective way.
As they returned to their new material ‘Eskimo’ the almost
polite audience seemed captivated by the song which had a more electronic feel
to it. A real pounding beat that resonated across the room.
Although the song was well received by the crowd I felt my
interest waning.
It’s lacking a hook and to me that’s crucial in a song which
came next in Paperweight, another song from the new album.
There’s something about this tune, to me it has a 70s
undertone with an 80s post punk era vibe to it.
This is definitely one of those songs where you have to do
the old step back slower head nod rather than a full head bang but it
keeps a nice double beat coming in and out to give it a bit of
variety...definitely more a “headbang while you’re drunk” kinda song.
Next up was Tender (double A-side with Shatter) which is one
of those “must do a ballad for the girls” songs, soft keys, girls swaying,
beautiful guitar solo….Grant on vocals...swoon!
Back to reality and the band liven things up with the classic
‘Come Back Around’ at which point the crowd lights up and you could almost see
them reminiscing about carryouts and graveyards!
Sticking with the old school they launched into ‘Insomnia’,
which was faster, bouncier, noisier and had much more texture to the song.
The audience was a real mix of passive onlookers and
engaging hard core fans and funny enough this is how many felt about the music,
Feeder songs are either passive chill out tunes or big anthemic songs.
Next up were ‘Borders’ and ‘Geezer’ before the band launched
into yet another classic in ‘Just The Way I’m Feeling’ much to the appreciation
from a more lively audience.
Throughout ‘Just The Way I’m Feeling’ the audience went from
singing along to jumping around during the chorus before going totally wild to ‘Buck
Rogers’ It’s not surprising that the set was ended on the loudest and saw the
crows more active than it had been all night and why not. Buck Rogers is
definitely iconic of an era.
Of course that wasn’t enough from the Belfast audience who
were chanting “one more tune” for what seemed like an age before the band came
back for the encore.
Finishing off with ‘Infrared-Ultraviolet’, 7 Days In The Sun
and as expected ending the night on ‘Just A Day’ it makes me wonder in the days of Facebook
Live and Snapchat, how different could that “fan” video have been.
All in all it was a great gig and the band were
excellent. Moving through the crowd at the end as they were going wild the
diversity of Feeder fans was evident. From hipsters with perfect hair,
skinny jeans and tweed jackets to long-haired, band t-shirt wearing metal heads
they were all screaming “How did we end up like this?” by the end of the night
to the perfect defiance anthem.
Review by Tina Calder
Pics by Darren McVeigh
Reproduction by written permission only.
Reproduction by written permission only.
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