Manchester Academy 1, 16 November 2007

I’ve seen many heavy-rock shows this year but few that could be described as ‘memorable.’ So what do I require to classify a show as ‘memorable’? Let me give you a couple of examples… Black Rebel Motorcycle Club played a blinder earlier this year but mostly in darkness. The Deftones did the business but the venue’s acoustic quality sucked big-time, with lighting to match. What I’m really saying here is that I look for the complete package; a great performance, audience connection, great lighting and sound. My Chemical Romance provided a show to remember at Manchester’s MEN arena, but last Friday Serj Tankian and Fair To Midland came up trumps at Manchester University’s recently re-opened, enhanced Academy 1.

Although I hadn’t heard Tankian’s solo album I sort of already tasted his voice and music on his System Of A Down albums, but for all I knew of FTM the band could have come from Birmingham, Midlands. It didn’t take long to find out that this heavy rock quintet actually comes from Dallas, Texas (thanks to my all-knowing associate who accompanied me to the gig). I also found out that the band is signed to Tankian’s own record label - clever Mr Tankian…

So, how good was the band? Well, if this band doesn’t become one of the most popular heavy metallers out there, I will eat my cat. The guys were brilliant! On stage first was the wafer-thin and lanky guitarist Cliff Campbell, followed by Brett Stowers on drums, Jon Dicken on bass, Matt Langley on keys, and after a shot pause, Darroh Slidderth on vocals slid onto the stage. The band then launched immediately into ‘The Walls Of Jericho’ and you just knew there was something pretty special on stage. A fabulous song was accompanied by the most animated display from Campbell and Slidderth who within a minute were dashing around and bouncing like yo-yos. By song two (‘Kyla Cries Cologne’) Slidderth had climbed on top of a high stack of speakers with security staff watching nervously. Then he jumped down some four metres onto the stage with a heavy thump and survived unscathed. Before the band lurched into ‘Tall Tales’ Slidderth virtually drowned himself in mineral water before launching another scorching vocal and an unusually melodic metal tune.

‘Vice/Versa’, ‘Upgrade Brigade’, and ‘April Fools And Eggmen’ confirmed that this band’s songs and style cannot be easily pigeon-holed. ‘Seafarer’s Knot’ was my highlight with its soaring vibe and the most unbelievable lead vocal performance. Finally another winner, ‘Dance Of The Manatee’ closed the set and an already responsive capacity crowd went stratospheric. Great songs (with more than a hint of melody), tight instrumental display, great stage craft, passionate, emotional, magnificent vocals, involving – it was just about perfect and the most incendiary rock performance I’ve seen this year. Next stop for me, record shop…

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You just knew that Mr Tankian would not, could not, be outdone and had to pull something out of the bag in response to FTM’s exhilarating show. He did! On to the stage arrive his three guitarists (Dan Monti, Larry Lahoude, Mario Pagliarulo) dressed as funeral directors in sombre black and sporting matching, very tall top hats. Troy Zeigler on drums was the only player not in fancy dress. Then Tankian wandered onto the stage to huge acclaim dressed in the same uniform but coloured white. He looked like a Wild West medicine man, with the evil look of a Batman villain, he looked amazing! To the left rear of the stage Monti and Lahoude were anchored behind mics like a pair of unlit statues while Zeigler sat atop an elevated pile of drum kit at rear stage-centre. Khachikian was shrouded in darkness over to the far right of the stage, by the piano along with Pagliarulo on bass. Tankian, front centre-stage looked over his audience with the most satisfied smile. The stage was set and the fun began.

Guitars, drums and machine-gun vocal delivery introduced the magnificent The Unthinking Majority. It’s unmistakably alt metal but as melodic as hell with some deft instrumental touches, slow-paced verses, explosive choruses, and a performance as tight as you can possibly get. What an opening! Twinkling keys and then a rush of guitars and we were into the dark and deathly Empty Walls, and an early show highlight. The song is a unique mix of metal, folk and rap, and extraordinary. Tankian’s vocal was incredible as he lurched between rap and conventional rock vocals. Feed Us is a classic metal tune dominated by Zeigler’s drumming which veered between full-on metal to delicate brush strokes. Glacially-paced and whispered verses lead inevitably towards crashing choruses that reverberated in the venues vastly improved acoustic ambience. Glorious.

Three songs and I had to vacate the pit and head for the back of the venue to watch the rest of the show. By this point Tankian had thanked the Manchester audience for being so great and continued to converse briefly with his fans in-between songs. Lie Lie Lie was led by simple piano notes and vocal ‘la la las’ in a song that was arguably the most conventional of the night, and the most theatrical. Then arrived my personal special moment of the night. Introduced as a ‘romantic song’ by the man as he shouldered his guitar, Saving Us introduced another twist and turn in a diverse set. Gentle, wandering guitar chords and a passionate, expressive, pleading, quiet vocal describe a difficult romantic relationship. The chorus arrived like a nuclear explosion and rocked the venue. A couple of days after the show I obtained the CD and can report that the live rendition of this (and other songs) was superior to the studio recording – the sure sign of a truly great band.

The more conventional ‘Baby’ was followed by a stupendous rendition of ‘Sky Is Over’(another glorious highlight). Tankian then joked with the crowd about religion before launching into his musical take on the subject, ‘Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition.’ The song mixes moments of quiet contemplation with palpable rage and frustration – a feature of many of the songs played on the night. It would have been easy for Tankian to have played some SOAD songs but they were totally absent from a set dominated by passion, humour, anger, observation and polemics. The inevitable encore was completed on a sombre and reflective tone with his album’s title track, ‘Elect The Dead. The perfect end to a perfect show, the best rock gig I have witnessed in 2007, and as memorable as hell…

Set List

The Unthinking Majority

Empty Walls

Feed Us

Lie Lie Lie

Saving Us

Baby

Sky Is Over

Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition

Charades

Honking Antelope

Holiday In Cambodia

Beethoven’s Cunt

Girl

Elect The Dead