New Model Army / New York Alcoholic Anxiety Attack
20 December 2007
Astoria, London
The little I saw of New York Alcoholic Anxiety Attack left me with very little to judge due to the appalling sound. Even with the aid of ear plugs, the mix was a barrage of noise with very little vocal. This was such a shame as this was a big stage for the young Bradford band to present their material to a crowd that would likely show some affinity to NYAAA’s usual punchy sound. Bare-chested frontman Mik Davis gave his all to no avail, whilst hooded bassist Matthew Graham hopped around the stage. I would certainly like to see NYAAA under better circumstances.
New York Alcoholic Anxiety Attack set list:
Love Conquers All / City Of God / Acid Preacher / All We Have Is Our Faith / Before The Light / Silent Religion / Fathers Eyes / We Are The Chosen / White Sky
It was almost 16 years to the day since I’d last seen New Model Army and whilst opener Vanity took me back to the times I’d seen them before, what followed really showed what a relevant act they remain. Latest album High is a tour de force and New Model Army obviously show pride in it, playing eight of its tracks tonight.
No Mirror, No Shadow was the first new track played and whilst it was obvious a portion of this crowd is here for a nostalgia trip, the power of this song certainly seemed to hold attention. With a switch to acoustic guitar, New Model Army leader Justin Sullivan took us to face Into The Wind. Whilst the rhythm of this song had the crowd bouncing down the front, the climatic scream of “I don’t want anything”, coupled with the lights was simply breathtaking.
Considering Sullivan’s song writing, it should be no surprise that he had pulled out such a gem with High, however in the live environment New Model Army seem vitalised. Sullivan himself, no longer with hair swept back, actually appeared younger than when I’d last seen him. With the bass an important part of the band’s sound, long time member Nelson was as dependable as ever, though to be fair the band as a whole were solid with some evocative guitar work from Marshall Gill.
The “oi, oi, oi” chant for The Hunt indicated the older fans had woken up and whilst Get Me Out and Before I Get Old kept them happy, it was the next song which was the highlight of the set. One Of The Chosen was simply awesome, with a build up to the release call of the song’s title, which saw Sullivan in Jesus Christ pose, framed from behind by a blinding white light.
There were still plenty of highlights left in the set though. Ballad Of Bodmin Pill was greeted by the crowd like an old friend, with a heart-felt rally of “We are lost we are freaks…”. Wonderful Way To Go was the sole representative of New Model Army’s previous three albums, indicating that High really is a return to form and it’s to be hoped that continues on the band’s next album.
The run-in is of course packed with crowd pleasers. Back to back, Poison Street and Vagabonds had the crowd singing themselves hoarse, whilst Master Race was a very welcome surprise. Of all the old favourites, it was Green & Grey that seemed to lift the crowd most with a very emotional performance.
To be honest, I arrived at this show not unwilling to experience a nostalgic set, however the strength of material in High had already rekindled my interest in New Model Army and they were able to perfectly transfer that renewed energy in the live environment. A fantastic close to 2007.
New Model Army set list:
Vanity / No Mirror, No Shadow / We Gotta Get Off The Island / Into The Wind / Breathing /
Rivers / The Hunt / Get Me Out / Before I Get Old / One Of The Chosen / Bloodsports / High / Ballad Of Bodmin Pill / Bad Old World / Wired / Wonderful Way To Go / Poison Street / Vagabonds / Master Race / No Rest / Green and Grey
LINKS:
New Model Army
New York Alcoholic Anxiety Attack
|
