PAPA ROACH

HEAVEN'S BASEMENT

When I walked into the venue, it felt I'd gone back in time as Heaven's Basement offer up their fair share of rock and roll fuelled by the sound of eighties sleaze. Whilst not exactly pioneers they carry their sound comfortably with a great air of self indulgence... but really that's kind of the point isn't it? The guitar solos are over the top and the band are brimming with energy, although less could be said of the crowd who don't seem quite as interested despite the fact it's exactly the same thing that headline act Papa Roach are currently peddling. Ending on ‘Executioner’s Day’ they finally get some well deserved attention from the gig-goers and a massive cheer on their departure represents this band well; they did a good job and I'm sure this won't be the last we hear from them.

DATE:

VENUE:

Wednesday 7th October 2009

Rock City in Nottingham, UK

MADINA LAKE

Bursting on stage without an expected intro track, the surprisingly mature Emo concept band break into the energetic opening track from their latest album ‘Never Take Us Alive’. Despite their boybandish looks and the poppy content of the material the Leone brothers and their crew put on a much angrier, heavier performance than on record, especially considering most of the tracks played here tonight are from their most recent, much more mainstream record. However, the older, sturdier tracks that made them famous such as ‘House of Cards’ and ‘Here I Stand’ sit very nicely with the more bombastic recent efforts such as ‘Welcome To Oblivion’ and the crowd pleasing ‘Let's Get Outta Here’. With the heavier feel came a noticeable muffled sound in the background, combined with a slight feedback problem at another point and some more sound issues during the intro of the last song, the sound really can't be praised here. Final track ‘True Love’ seemed like an odd one to go out on; personally I'd consider it one of their shakier songs and not really representative of the rest of their set. Luckily they replaced its mellow outro with a pounding instrumental... an impressive set even though they looked like the least exciting between the two Glam Metal bands.

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MADINA LAKE + HEAVEN'S BASEMENT

Reviews & Photography by Nicholas Dishington

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PAPA ROACH

Papa Roach's intro track, the instrumental opener from their latest effort ‘Days of War’ can't be faulted for its impact, however it seems very uncharacteristic considering the rest of their Punk/Nu-Metal/Emo/Sleaze material is far from as grand. This shows with their next track, the high-energy ‘Change or Die’, grabbing everyone's attention by the balls then sticking up an admittedly juvenile middle finger up at them. Considering Papa Roach's pretty lengthy career and extensive back catalogue, it's no surprise the main set, comprising of a hefty 18 songs, is filled with crowd pleasers. Although their material has changed substantially over time (hence the name of their latest album being ‘Metamorphosis’) they hold it all together with a pleasing consistency. Older personal favourites of mine such as ‘Dead Cell’ and ‘Between Angels and Insects’ stand side by side proudly with the more Emo picks ‘To Be Loved’ and ‘Scars. Of course, the more recent glamorous material wouldn't be left out with tracks such as ‘Lifeline’ and club track ‘Hollywood Whore’ being the more popular material amongst their angsty teen crowd. As silly as this music comes across to a more mature metal listener I can see the appeal: it's like a party in here. When singer Jacoby begins to tire out towards the end it's no surprise, this band have been bouncing around all night. An obligatory encore is of course on the cards... especially considering they leave without playing ‘that’. Consisting of three songs, the encore just doesn't have as much excitement to it than the rest of the set until Last Resort, Roach's crowning glory. Met with a rapturous cheer, this is an obviously well picked finale. Whilst not always being my cup of tea they put on a undeniably enjoyable show and the crowd filter out happily after their intense Alt Rock fix.

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