The Worldonfire, Colly Strings, Like Statues - Belfast
The Worldonfire, Colly Strings, Like Statues
Auntie Annie’s, Belfast
6th September 2011
Ìý
Whether bullied in by gale-force winds or the simple promise of live music, Auntie Annie’s proves an ideal refuge from the arrival of autumn tonight. Touring the UK in promotion of their spirited new album, Music To Leadership, London-based four-piece Theworldonfire head a bill featuring two of this country’s more worthy ‘post-hardcore’ counterparts in Colly Strings and Like Statues. However, the question remains: will the occasion prove more worthwhile than sitting all tucked up at home, robotically berating the weather?
Tonight’s initially mediocre turn-out aside, self-described progressive alt. rockers Like Statues get things underway courtesy of the intricately-formed, fully raucous ‘Eye Level’, a track dedicated to the Northern Ireland football team’s performance this evening. And just like the latter’s 4-1 pounding on the pitch, it’s a real pummelling effort, immediately setting the bar for the rest of their set, five finely-tuned tracks of start/stop riffdom and robustly heartfelt choruses evoking early Reuben and Biffy Clyro circa Blackened Sky. While instrumental ‘Uno Mas’ recalls the chugging density of Russian Circles, set highlight ‘By The Skin Of Our Teeth’ proves a tenacious conclusion from a Lisburn band growing in leaps and bounds.
Another Northern Irish four-piece categorically moulded – yet far from restricted by – the great triad of early 2000’s English alternative rock, Biffy Clyro, Oceansize and Reuben, Bangor’s finest Colly Strings shove the sentiment up a notch or ten. With a first-rate drummer in Andy Bleakley, and highlights including the delicately bobbing ‘To The Water’ and – something of a crowd favourite – ‘Teddy Robinson’, the band possess an infectious and effervescent reliability indicative of Two Door Cinema Club covering any of the aforementioned bands. In truth, there is no reason why Colly Strings can’t follow in the footsteps on TDCC or General Fiasco and make much bigger waves beyond the city.
Although by the end of this second set the turn-out remains somewhat substandard, the prevailing atmosphere is definitely one of growing, unspoken fraternity, and the age-old gratification of witnessing emotionally transformative live music as part of a small assembly of semi-strangers retains its singular value throughout. On cue, Theworldonfire modestly declare their presence, before crashing direct into the wildly involved ‘Five Years’, one their many tracks to recall the afflicted weight of Aereogramme and Oceansize’s distinctive, call-and-response riffage.
With their fluent, wrathful shifts and surges of belting passion, ‘Garden Cities of Tomorrow’, the assuredly topical ‘Small Town Violence is Big Business’, and the unhinged, primordial force of ‘Life It Changes Everything’ stand-out as three defining moments of the London-based four-piece’s set. By the end, it’s a powerful and fully-meant performance, warranting rapt applause across the board. Theworldonfire’s thoroughly good-natured stage presence, corporeal passion for playing live and refreshingly ambitious post-post-hardcore knack underscores not only a bright future for themselves, but also the burgeoning adventures of our very own Colly Strings and Like Statues. Besides, it sure as hell beats sitting in only to yap about the weather...
Brian Coney
Comments Post your comment