![]() ![]() But this was followed by THE killer monologue that even had the shivers coursing down this old fella’s back. ![]() Returning to the stage with the opening rhythms of Devour had us all bouncing again. New, title track, Amaryllis, sounded just as strong and urgent as the ‘hits’, while Unity and 45 closed as good a set as these walls will have seen. Barry Kerch looked like a flailing percussion Doc Ock (one for Spiderman fans) as his dreadlocked hair matched his swinging, blurring arms.Ĭrow and The Butterfly had this scribe singing along, while the Ringmaster Smith took us back to their beginnings with Fly From The Inside. The whole of the main room Academy shook as 3,000 fans sprung like demented jack rabbits to the command of Brent during Enemies. Not that this mattered as there was plenty coming out the 4 strong gang on stage to believe what was being witnessed was honest and true. Opening with Sound of Madness the sound was colossal making me wonder if backing tracks were being used. The music too is suitably muscled and toned but expresses a keen vulnerability that seeps out beyond the testosterone. His muscles rippled and flexed just in holding the mic. Brent looked lean and toned, pony-tailed and in the best shape of his life. The benefit of a well organised, dare I say scripted, show is the attention to detail… Brent loves his between song monologues but they are delivered as if they are as important as the songs themselves to the point where they are typically accompanied by Zach Myers on guitar and treated like part of the set list.īefore the show, Zach explained the relationship the band has with WWE and you can see the similarities in the performance of Shinedown compared with the sport-u-tainment monster from across the pond. And when main man Brent Smith asked who in the crowd were experiencing Shinedown for the first time the vast majority of hands reached for the skies, meaning it was all fresh and new for most anyway! Truth be told, it’s a minor gripe of an old man as the show performed was yet another phenomenal live performance. Some might welcome that like an old friend, whereas I would just like to see a little more spontaneity. Now I’m a big fan of Shinedown, ever since being introduced to them at the old Barfly some years ago but if like me you are familiar with them then the one downside of seeing Shinedown play live often is that they are a little formulaic. This was their 2nd trip to Birmingham this year, having previously played the HMV Institute in February at the beginning of the Amaryllis tour. Shinedown are no strangers to the Midlands and like Black Stone Cherry & Rival Sons are seeing their concerted efforts on the road beginning to pay off in the UK. Standout songs included… City Life, Built To Last, Something For The Pain and Bullet In My Head. The crowd didn’t seem to mind though and they are the main judge. Like Exit Ten the main man Kas new how to work the crowd but unfortunately his vocal performance didn’t match his drive and passion, often signing a little flat. It’s their first venture around the UK and their melodic Canadian radio rock sound suited this tour well – big choruses, sweet harmony vocals backed by huge chunky riffs.ĭespite it being a cold and wet Sunday night the crowd really showed their appreciation but I was left thinking that they actually weren’t ‘that’ good. It was a bold move but appeared to get the knowledgeable crowd on their side. The interestingly named Redlight King kicked off with their most famous song, Comeback, which featured on the Avengers Assemble movie soundtrack. They only got to play a handful of songs but were brave enough to try an audience sing a long – the hypnotic ‘You will see the lion in me’ not the most catchy I’m sure – but they just about pulled it off. Its just as well, as he was surrounded by band mates all dressed in black and more comfortable staring at their shoes. They’re a 5 piece that focusses around charismatic frontman Ryan Redman, who was totally comfortable with the larger stage space and audience of the Academy main room. They sounded decent, worth checking out their studio efforts for sure. ![]() Openers, Exit Ten took to the stage as the large crowd were filtering in. ‘twas a night of 3 frontmen, many a decent tune and spiritual enlightenment. ![]()
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