Therapy?
Newcastle
Academy, 24th April 2015
This
was always going to be a special day for me. You get days like that
sometimes, where all of the things that you're excited about happen
at once. First and foremost I was off work, which is always
pleasant. Secondly, it was pay day, meaning I could afford to go and
enjoy myself. Thirdly, being the massive geek that I am, I had
arranged to meet a friend to go see
Age of Utron.
The final piece of my jigsaw of awesome was the fact that my
favourite band in the world was playing in town.
I love Therapy?. Absolutely love
them. From the age of 14 or 15 when I heard the song 'Auto Surgery'
on a Kerrang! compilation tape (yes, a tape. Digital downloads were a
twinkle in some nerd's eye at the time) I was hooked. I'm now 34
years of age. In that time, friends and family have came and went, I
have became more fat, grey and grumpy, and Newcastle United have
still won nothing. Other than my team being shit, one thing has been
a constant in my life for the ensuing 20 years: and that thing is
Therapy?.
There is a certain darkness
about their music that has always appealed to me. Unlike a plethora
of other rock bands for whom 'darkness' is part of the image,
something contrived or done out of expectation, with Therapy? there
has always been an honesty. When you hear Andy Cairns singing “Don't
tell me everything's alright. And don't include me in your straight
life,” you know he means it. They are also a band who have
remained brilliantly consistent for their whole career; a comment I
could never level at some of my other favourite bands. Much as I
love Metallica and Pearl Jam, they have undoubtedly released patchy
albums over the years. Even bands I respect greatly, like Clutch or
Every Time I Die have had their less-than-inspirational moments.
Therapy?, however, have done two things: never repeated themselves
and never let their standards drop. How many bands could look
themselves in the mirror after 25 years of existence and say that?
So the film was fun (but that's
another blog for another day) and the beer and company were excellent
as ever. So much so that we arrived at the venue in time to miss both
support acts. I happen to know that Ashes Of Iron are an excellent
band, who opened for Therapy? on a previous tour. Apologies to all
concerned that my love of bourbon and bullshitting won out over my
curiosity over support acts.
Expecting the set to be light on
Troublegum (not so, as it happens) and heavy on new album
Disquiet we watch with a prickle of excitement and anxiety as
they walk on, beaming from ear to ear, and tear into the barrage of
riffs and pain that is recent single 'Still Hurts'. Despite the song
being new and relatively unfamiliar most people in the room seem to
be singing along to that glorious melody from the bridge section:
“this feeling's never left me, I want an easy mind” and you can
tell every person singing it really means it. Game on, gentlemen.
Much like their last two visits to
this room, on which the Crooked Timber and A Brief Crack Of
Light albums were heavily represented, a lot of the set is drawn
from their fantastic new record, Disquiet. It's a more
straightforward, less experimental album than the two predecessors,
with moments that could easily have been drawn from the likes of
Weezer or any number of U.S. 'punk' bands of the last 20 years, had
their singers suffered a severe emotional trauma. That's no criticism
at all, but some of the songs are almost pop-punk in their simplicity
and melody, but still drawn from the dark and turbulent place that is
Andy Cairns' mind.
The jubilant reception that greets
songs with gloomy names like 'Isolation' and 'Die Laughing' is an
irony that always makes me smile. Of their older material we get
'Nausea', 'Potato Junkie', 'Stories' and a stunning 'A Moment Of
Clarity'. 'Screamager' and 'Teethgrinder' and so ubiquitous to their
sets that it would be sacrilege not to hear them. When Disquiet
is visited we are treated to the likes of 'Tides', 'Idiot Cousin',
'Torment, Sorrow, Misery, Strife' (introduced as a song you can hum
on the way to the supermarket), 'Words Fail Me' (which is urgent,
fast and full of mania) and an epic, crushing 'Deathstimate'.
Now it can be a real drag when when
bands promote their new albums: you tend to want to hear the old
classics, the songs that first drew you to the band. However the band
want to promote their new album, play the songs they're still proud
of and excited about playing and as a result you politely tap your
foot and sing the few bits you can remember from the chorus. Been
there before? Me too. When you go to see Iron Maiden, which song are
you more excited about hearing: 'Isle Of Avalon' or 'Hallowed Be Thy
Name'? Tonight was an exception to the rule, and it's credit to the
quality of Therapy?'s recent output and the sheer passion in their
performance that the crowd go absolutely mental for the newer songs.
The band themselves are brilliant
throughout. It's hard to believe that these guys are in their
mid/late 40s and have a good 25 years of wear and tear under their
belts, such is their energy and enthusiasm. The smile on Michael
McKeegan's face never falters and it's a nice thing that an audience
can still make him so happy after all those years. Cairns plays
impeccably, his wry wit coming through in his banter with the crowd.
Their secret weapon is Neil Cooper who is a talented drummer and
whose talents are used to such effect that songs are given an extra
level of depth through his off kilter rhythms and fills.
They pull an odd choice out of the
bag when they play 'Skinning Pit'. It's probably the most sinister
song I've ever danced to, and I had forgotten both how good it was
and that I was 11 years of age when it was released. Cairns teases
us with a few bars of The Beatles' 'Nowhere Man' before tearing into
set closer 'Nowhere' which is played with such glee and enthusiasm
that you forget they've played it at nearly every show since 1994.
My friend sums it up perfectly when
he says “that's as close to a religious experience as I ever get.”
It's no exaggeration or hyperbole; this band matters to us. From
the days when I would listen to Troublegum over and over,
lyrics like “here comes a girl with perfect teeth, I bet she won't
be smiling at me...” have been burned onto my psyche ever since.
As they were last time I saw them, tonight they were the perfect
live band. The only sadness I experience when I leave comes with the
thought that there surely can't be many more years of this. Nights
like this are to be cherished because surely we can't expect another
25 years of being shown through the scary corners of Andy Cairns'
thoughts, can we? But for all the time we are lucky enough to get
with them, I'll be front of the queue for tickets.
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