Protest The Hero at Whelans, March 6th 2012
Supporting an album which came out just over a year ago may seem a bit too far in the past to think about, but this is exactly what PTH were in town to do last Tuesday night. During the night before they played they were happily talking to fans outside and posing for many photos, something which is not only admirable but also seen less and less with many popular bands. Nice guys aside, it was the music that people came for, not a chat, and the band certainly put on a memorable show that left the fans smiling as loud as their ears were ringing by the end of the night.
Opening the night were Uneven Structure, a French/Swedish six piece whose name pretty much summed them up. Imagine too many ideas going on at once, culminating in indistinct noise with no real substance. A screaming lead singer and a heavy backing is fine, but if all the parts don’t fit, you just have an incohesive mess which the band disappointingly were. The band left me bemused more than anything, especially compared to the other two support acts who followed on from them.
Blood Command made their presence known by screaming for the sound check instead of the usual “one-two”. Despite this introduction, they were a lot more accessible than the openers. The band are fronted by a petite blonde female vocalist, who could certainly sing as well as she could scream. Just when a song would quiet down, she would strike again, and scream like a Scandanavian banshee. Flowing easily from pop-punk tunes to darker alt-rock sounds, they performed a 45 minute set which left me disappointed there wasn’t any more to come from them.. It worked perfectly though. Commercially capable sounds with enough of an edge to keep rock fans interested too, Blood Command are a band who I’m sure will be back on a bigger stage soon.
After a short break and tune-up, it was the turn of German instrumentalists Long Distance Calling. Showing off their influences quite effectively, the band combined Pantera-styled funk with more melodic riffs to create their own take on how heavy rock should be played. The originality may have been questionable, with bands like Obsidion, Muse and Tool all having similar styles to some of their songs, but that didn’t make them any less impressive a live presence. They were perfect for getting the crowd in the mood for the headliners, and didn’t lose attention which is always a worry for instrumental support acts.
At last, it was time for the band everyone was there to see, even the support acts! Entering the stage to the opening song from ‘The Lion King’, I just knew this was going to be an unusual gig. It’s not long before lead vocalist Rody Walker wants to find an Irish ginger to crowdsurf, and said ginger gladly does. The band’s sound is like a heavier Mars Volta; epic songs confined within three minute intervals along with several changes of tone, speed and style in between. The band are so technically tight that this works perfectly. The speed at which Luke and Tim on the guitars effortlessly pick out different notes is entrancing, combining with a smooth, unassuming bass and drums which displace your heartbeat after a few seconds of listening to them. They’re not normally a band I would usually listen to, but when you see a stand-out act performing right in front of you, it really doesn’t matter. Lunacy and an impressive live presence combined, Protest The Hero are well worth a listen either on the iPod or if you’re fortunate enough to catch them next time they grace our shores. Hopefully the wait just won’t be as long as the last one…