All That Remains @ O2 Academy, Birmingham

21 January 2009

19 January 2009
I took to the M69 and the M6 to visit Birmingham for the second time. This time I had Luke with me, who was less good at navigating. Still, thanks to Google maps I knew exactly where I was going. Even if I did get in the wrong lane and headed the wrong way, I knew where I was.

Luke really isn’t into metal. He hates the stuff. I’m not a zealot, but I like any music that makes me feel good. I was in a shouty, screamy, angry mood, so I couldn’t wait to get the shit kicked out of me in a mosh pit. First impressions were okay. It was in the balcony area, presumably the gig hadn’t sold that well. The support came on, right out of Wales, and they were good. The Haunted were well recieved. I felt bad because I’m not a fan of the band or the heavy music that I couldn’t appreciate how good it was. Still, the best was to come.

All That Remains rocked. They opened with “The Air That I Breathe”, one of my favorite ATR tracks. I dived in to get closer. Because the place wasn’t that busy, it wasn’t hard to do. I was kinda mocking the whole metal crew for being kids and geeks that didn’t wash or cut their hair. I told Luke it was an image, and that they’re just a bunch of wusses. After the song ended I headed back again, because the smell was starting to make me hurl. At that point the next song kicked off and the audience went mental. I laughed. I’m glad they felt the need to stampede and kick the shit out of each other.

They saved the best till last. They played “Two Weeks” off their new ablum that I wasn’t that aware of. It was amazing. It’s a melodic tune with an amazing pulse. Even Luke aproved. They then opened the riff to “This Calling” and everyone loved it. Amazing band.

Links
All That Remains blog post on Birmingham Live! 19/01/2009
All That Remains photos for Birmingham Live! 19/01/2009