It’s been a while since Alexisonfire hit the UK for a full headlining tour of their own. In the last year they’ve been over here doing spots on almost every festival worth mentioning, but it’s been well over twelve months since we last had the opportunity to hear a full-length headlining set from Toronto’s finest. Fortunately they’re back and better than ever, with quite the impressive support line-up to accompany them.
First up, Beat Union grace the stage of London’s epitomical venue with their delicious brand of Jam-infused pop-punk. Make no mistake about it; Birmingham’s worst kept secret were totally on the ball tonight, with ‘She is the Gun’ proving to be one hell of a singalong. Not bad for a band who’ve built their reputation on almost an entirely word-of-mouth basis.
As much as I love Comeback Kid, and each of their records individually, they just didn’t seem to cut it in London tonight. More than anything, they came across as unprepared and left the crowd somewhat confused as to what to make of their set. Being the polar opposite of the first act, and without a following as big as the mighty Alexisonfire, they left the stage having made little impact.
Which just leaves us with Canada’s finest export. Their full-length set comes as something of a well overdue treat for a few thousand fans in the Astoria, and the band were quite frankly flawless. Once you’ve seen these guys play the best part of a dozen times, you get used to the drill, but they still never seem to lose their edge. With a set composed mainly of material from 2006’s ‘Crisis’ (with a few old favourites such as ‘.44 Calibre’ and ‘Pulmonary Archery’ thrown in for good measure), they can travel home safe with the knowledge that they didn’t disappoint her majesty’s capital. Bring on Give it a Name.
Andy