Gig Review: Rise Against @ London Roundhouse
Chicago Punk Heroes Stage Biggest Ever London Gig
Mar 7, 2009
Rise Against's 2008 album Appeal To Reason marked the band's ascent to the top of the US punk rock scene, charting at number three in the Billboard 200 and selling over 65,000 copies in its first week of release. On Friday 6th March, their success continued with their biggest London gig yet, in front of 4,000 adoring fans at the Roundhouse.
Support on the night comes from The King Blues - standing in for late withdrawals Anti-Flag - and rap-rock innovators Flobots. The King Blues begin the night with their cheerful blend of punk and reggae, and do a good job of allowing the crowd to enjoy themselves whilst saving their energy for the intense performances to come. Tracks from their album Save The World, Get The Girl, including lead single My Boulder, go down a treat, and the London-based six-piece will surely have been grateful for the chance to replace Anti-Flag on the bill at such short notice.
Flobots are up next, and their blend of genres is a much more aggressive one. Essentially a rap act, but performing with a live band, they have some work to do to win over the Rise Against crowd. This work is swiftly done, however, with the inclusion in their set of a brief cover of part of Rage Against The Machine's classic, Killing In The Name. Their live act is bristling with invention, with a violin solo and an accomplished display of 'body-popping' among the attractions - musically they are full of vigour, with tracks such as Iraq and signature tune Handlebars heating up the crowd nicely.
McIlrath's Energy Fires Up London Crowd
Onward, therefore, to the main event of the evening. From the moment Rise Against step on stage, it is clear this is a band loved by their fanbase. Not in the same way some bands are 'loved' - that is, for an appreciation of their musical talent and style - but in the pure, passionate way that many punk acts are loved, for the emotional and political content of their music. It is in this content that Rise Against's greatest asset lies.
As a band with deeply-held political and social views, much of their work is charged with the energy that only comes from a fiercely proud expression of self. From the opening track of their set, Drones, to the very end, their performance is defined by its lightning-in-a-bottle animation. Frontman Tim McIlrath bounds across the stage, roaring every lyric as if it were a piece of information vital to the crowd's survival. His voice's unique clarity is undimmed by the live setting, nor the crowd's impassioned reiteration of his every word.
Fans Need No Re-Education
The night's setlist is a mixture of old and new - older tracks such as Like The Angel and Heaven Knows are belted out with a familiar sense of relish, while Appeal To Reason's lead single Re-Education (Through Labor) kicks the set into a higher gear early on. The only time the set's boundless dynamism is interrupted is during the encore, which begins with two acoustic tracks - the soul-splittingly poignant Hero of War, and wistful singalong Swing Life Away. They are a yet more stark exposition of the emotional core that drives the band, and a pleasing display of versatility and vulnerability in a set of raucous fortitude.
The crowd's reaction to the band is nothing short of veneration at times. The driving force behind Rise Against's rapid accession to popularity has been their ability to connect with their audience; McIlrath's lyrics often speak of a nondescript 'we', inciting sympathy and togetherness among a crowd whose passion for the musical and social 'alternative' is clearly sated by a band with more to say than most. When McIlrath asserts during latest single Audience Of One, "We're okay, until the day we're not / The surface shines, while the inside rots", his congregation need no second invitation to pour their hearts out along with him.
In truth, Rise Against's gigs are equal parts music and therapy. There exists a unique and unshakable connection between these four musicians and their fans; in every song, a cathartic rallying call to disillusioned youth, and a heartfelt call to believe. In hearing them rocket through favourites like set closer Prayer Of The Refugee, believing is made easy. This is a band that specialises in putting fists in the air, and setting hearts on fire - a truly exhilarating combination.
