We'll begin with the support band, ME, who I interviewed a little earlier in the day. A group of Aussies from Melbourne playing a pretty unique blend of rock music - lively bass, powerful drums, technical guitar and a vocal performance from frontman Luke Ferris that touched on practically every note on the spectrum - not a bad thing at all. The set never got boring, and indeed it was a pleasure to chat to the boys before hand about how their overall 'sound' has evolved and developed over the years and what we can expect from their up-coming material:
ME are an exciting new band with some fabulous prospects on the horizon. They showcase their new EP (released 5th March) at the HMV Next Big Thing event at the Barfly in Camden in February and they're only 3 dates in to their UK tour with Panic!.
They're even nice enough to give you 3 songs for FREE if you visit their website, talk about generous! http://www.metheband.com/ - the link is useful, with a band name ME, they're self-professed ungoogleable!
Overall, their gig was exciting and up-front. They have a great presence on stage (especially the lively bassist) and already have an accomplished sound. Really excited for the album in a few months. It's pleasing to say that they passed the big test- yes the mp3's sound good, but live performance is where we can set aside the men from the boys and they nailed it, and for that, they're worth a follow on twitter.com/meband
This is their current single, it's on our playlist on The Source on Shock Radio and in a few weeks time we'll put out the full interview. For now, we appreciate all your love and support:
They're even nice enough to give you 3 songs for FREE if you visit their website, talk about generous! http://www.metheband.com/ - the link is useful, with a band name ME, they're self-professed ungoogleable!
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| ME @ O2 Apollo Manchester |
This is their current single, it's on our playlist on The Source on Shock Radio and in a few weeks time we'll put out the full interview. For now, we appreciate all your love and support:
- The Source Podcast on iTunes
- The Source on Shock! Radio Facebook
- @sirchaddy on Twitter (that's me, hello!)
- Producer @anthonyalker on Twitter
- The Source on Spotify
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| Panic! At The Disco - spending the budget on the lights... |
The main event of the evening however was Panic! At The Disco. You know what..... I flippin' loved it. I forgot just how often their debut album used to be played in my bedroom when I was in my early teens, I knew all the words to a hefty handful of their songs and it evoked some healthy nostalgia!
I was originally sceptical about Panic! live because I'd seen them perform at a few festivals on the TV (hardly a live experience for me I know..) and being a true advocate of live music, I remember being really disappointed that the sound was so dismal. However, it's obvious that the band have grown up a lot and the frontman Brendon Urie is one of the most exciting live performers I've ever seen! Backflipping his way onto the stage for one song, juggling his microphone.... he was a great entertainer.
The music, too, was very strong! With such high-energy, lyric-heavy and vocally-challenging songs like Panic!'s, I did expect there to be more missed lyrics and backing vocals to fill the breath gaps, but alas, no. Brendon's ability to sing each line of any given song with the same power as the last was quite amazing, no trouble spluttering for breath like some high-octane gig performances I've seen.
Funnily enough, I'd really recommend a Panic! gig to anybody who was flirting with the opportunity to go. They're no posers, their musicianship is right up there with the best of the best. Even in soundcheck (thanks to ME for letting me have a peek), they were busting out tune after tune and sounding ace. Live, it's a real show, and a good laugh.
