LaFaro, FWW at The Cellar Bar
LaFaro, Fighting With Wire
Cellar Bar, Draperstown
5th November, 2011
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While we鈥檙e all buzzing around the big smoke with Music Week and MTV rolling into town, there鈥檚 still life outside the city limits, and the 1-2 combination of LaFaro and Fighting With Wire is just too tempting to pass up. So leaving behind rumours of celeb-spotting, it鈥檚 up the road we go, away from possible Biebers, Gagas and Hasslehoffs.
Now it has to be said that this is a slightly unusual situation, with Fighting With Wire opening for their good friends LaFaro. Unusual in that, bar an occasion as special guests for the launch of LaFaro鈥檚 debut album last year, it has generally been Fighting With Wire topping the bill. Unsurprisingly, FWW front-man (and current LaFaro bassist) Cahir doesn鈥檛 let this slip, self-deprecatingly saying they鈥檙e only there to warm up the crowd. This is only after a sharp, seamless, breathless 4 song run-through including 鈥業nto The Ground鈥 and 鈥楲ong Distance鈥, belying their recent quiet period and lack of practice.
There鈥檚 no interaction with the crowd, but these aren鈥檛 perfunctory renditions as they let off steam and blow out cobwebs, extending and playing with the older material. It鈥檚 not all about the old though, as some of the new songs from the long-awaited second album sneak in, 鈥楪onna Steal Your Crown鈥 and 鈥業 Won鈥檛 Let You Down鈥, the latter 鈥渁 love song鈥 and all about mistakes and sorrow, and this evening dedicated to 鈥渢he headers at the front鈥, and 鈥楧idn鈥檛 Want To鈥 is pure Foo Fighters style stadium rock-pop. Finishing with 鈥楽trength In Numbers鈥 and 鈥楥ut The Transmission鈥, this relaxed and calmer than usual set is a reminder that they鈥檙e still about and not willing to go quietly into the night.
Having gathered ourselves together from that first battering, round two of the riffs is an even more brutal onslaught with crazed punters, mosh pits and (probably) ear damage for all.
鈥楲eningrad鈥 is a suitable opener, warning of the carnage to come, seemingly heavier than ever with Johnny鈥檚 sneer more contemptuous, and it鈥檚 only the introduction of 鈥楾he Ballad of Burnt Dave鈥 a few songs in that provides a pause for breath. The set is split between the first and second albums, but even the older material is imbued with more aggression and spite than normal, as though it鈥檚 been infected by the second album鈥檚 faster, sleazier, dirtier ways. This culminates in 鈥楽ucking Diesel鈥 causing Johnny to snap his strings, while 鈥楳r Heskey鈥 is just brutal as they play with it, indulging their creative urges with more jamming than the recorded version.
鈥楾uppenny Nudger鈥 is a bringer of madness as always, while closing numbers 鈥楨asy Meat鈥 and 鈥楥hopper鈥 prompt mosh-pits to break out. As fun as this is, and indeed 鈥楨asy Meat鈥 is destined to take its place in the category of songs labelled 鈥榗auses crowds to go mental鈥, the stand-outs of the set are 鈥極ff The Chart鈥, a seemingly simple but insistent riff and catchy chorus about 鈥渓ittle Susie鈥, and the slower 鈥楽ettle Petal鈥. The latter is described as a 鈥渟tadium anthem鈥f we ever play them鈥, and is well worthy of stadiums, showing that are able to grow away from just riffs. But as long they remember those riffs.
William Johnston
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