Feeder, The Academy, 5th February 2011
Review by Oisin Tormey
Photos by Sean Smyth
It was a night of nostalgia for the crowd packed into the academy on a stormy Saturday night, as Grant Nicholas and co. took to the stage for the second gig of their European tour. Following a ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ intro, Feeder launched into ‘Home’, a gritty, garage rock song which set the tone for the evening ahead. The vocals were inaudible for the first half of the song, but were quickly changed and there was no problems for the rest of the night. By the second song ‘Insomnia’, the crowd is already bouncing around the venue, with a combination of beer and sweat landing to the floor all over the place. By the time Grant comes out with a sparkly guitar for the fourth song and the band begins into ‘Feeling A Moment’, the crowd has erupted. Already a great song, the crowd singing along with every note makes it sound even better. A real anthemic song, it was the first of many great songs many people forget Feeder actually have.
Title track from the last album ‘Renegades’ followed this up, a pop-punk song with Green Day trademark ‘hey, hey, hey’-ing throughout. It is a good song, but not one of Feeder’s better ones on the album, or on the night. The band then dedicate ‘Pushing The Senses’ to the Irish rugby team, provoking loud cheers (despite the poor performance earlier in the day), and brings with it a return to form for the band, before the slower tempo-ed ‘Down To The River’ sends many for a toilet break. For the next trio of songs, however, there is no-one moving. Feeder classics ‘Buck Rogers’, ‘Come Back Around’ and ‘Seven Days In The Sun’ follow each other and have the crowd moshing and loving every minute of it. Memories of playing Gran Turismo years ago flood back, and the songs still sound brilliant live. This greatest hits grouping keeps the crowd bouncing and moshing in hysterics, and raises the tempo of the night which may have gone flat otherwise. New drummer since the recording of ‘Renegades’ Karl Brazil fits in perfectly for the songs, seeming like a part of the Feeder jigsaw that has been there for much longer than he actually has.
The band go back to their debut album for ‘High’ and the crowd show they aren’t at The Academy for just one song. The fan favourite goes down a treat and is one of the best parts of an already great night, following with ‘Lost and Found’ (probably the best song they’ve released in recent years) and ‘Call Out’, the first single from their latest album. Leaving the stage before the encore, the band leave the crowd in awe with strobe lights that could knock Ian Curtis out for the night. Returning to loud cheers, ‘Tumble and Fall’ is immediately recognised and despite slowing the tempo down, the crowd ‘s attention is retained with a great performance of the song. We are then treated to new song ‘White City Rock’, a song with a slight emo twang but keeps with the rocking stylings Feeder fans are accustomed to the band playing. Hopefully the rest of the album will sound as good! The night could only end one way, and it had to be ‘Just A Day’. The Academy goes ape for the song and its great to see the band still putting their all into it with such energy after the high-paced gig. Voices go hoarse through the crowd as it gets the biggest reception of the night and everyone sings along as loud as they can. Leaving the gig with beer-stained shoes, a sweat-stained t-shirt, none of this really mattered as I finally saw one of my childhood hero bands, and despite a few misses among a night of hits, it was a great gig by a band still able to put on a solid live performance nearly 15 years on since they first appeared.
Setlist
Home
Insomnia
Sentimental
This Town
Feeling A Moment
Renegades
Pushing The Senses
Down To The River
Just The Way I’m Feeling
Buck Rogers
Come Back Around
We Can’t Rewind
High
Lost & Found
Seven Days In The Sun
Call Out
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Tumble And Fall
White City Rock (New Song)
Just A Day
