Feeder @ The Academy, Dublin, February 5th, 2011

Front man Grant Nicholas

By Suzanne Fitzpatrick

On a disgustingly grey day that frequents Dublin this time of year, one often loses inspiration. Let’s face it; one loses content. But alas, my mental satisfaction would be saved by Feeder’s gig at The Academy. Although I’ve seen them on five occasions, they prove to be uplifting every time.

The crowd seem to have the same feeling as many of its members arrive damp and dishevelled from queuing in the wet weather outside. Feeder seem to have a legion of loyal fans standing in awe of the empty stage alone. A lot of them aren’t even talking to others suggesting they came alone which always gives off a chilled and relaxed vibe; somewhere people forget about image and focus on their love of music.

As the lights die for the main event, Feeder’s stage becomes beautiful with glowing cable lights outlining the coloured amps and drum kit. The room rumbles with of a segment of Morricone’s The Good, The Bad & Ugly theme. Of course for the band, this choice of intro ties in with the most recent album’s eponymous theme of ‘renegades’.

Grant Nicholas, Taka Hirose and new recruits Karl Brazil and Dean Deavall take their place in front of the crowd’s adoration and cut into ‘Home’. The band look particularly comfortable as Nicholas beams for most of the set. Their sound is flawless; definitely one of the few bands who almost sound more impressive live than on record. The crowd go berserk with rupturing guitar & bass combos that tickle your ear drums and bounce in your chest.

Four songs in, the manic jumping turns to mass vocals as the band begin ‘Feeling the Moment’, a song that’s sure to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck; as does the sound of 400 or so people singing along with it with exceptional fervour.

A lot of the material from last year’s album Renegades is noticeably more intense than that of 2008’s Silent Cry, with an absence of acoustic songs that have dotted their last few records. Having said this, both times I’ve seen the Renegades tracks live they’ve been overwhelmingly powerful and passionate yet nicely balanced with the older, tender classics like ‘Just The Way I’m Feeling’. The combination and contrast of Renegades (“a band within Feeder” according to the group) and the softer songs seems the perfect arc for a gig. Although they’ve only been out for mere months, songs like ‘Call Out’, and title track ‘Renegades’ in particular are recited back stunningly by the crowd. The highlight song is ‘Down To The River’, a mood-changer compared to the other new material but one that demonstrates just how spectacular Nicholas’ voice is both on stage and on track.

At their Dublin show last August, Nicholas claimed; “This is kind of our pop album…”. This automatically conjured up loud boo’s from the audience, to which he replied “No, I’m joking! Fuck! None of you like pop music then?” The material doesn’t exactly sound ‘poppy’ at all, but they are big, heavy, slightly techy, proper ‘grungy’ tunes. Maybe that’s what he meant.

Vintage songs like ‘Insomnia’, ‘Seven Days in the Sun’,’ Lost & Found’ and ‘Buck Rogers’ stir madness within the audience. Two punters are dragged out as they each start elbowing pacifist fans in the head. Meanwhile, the sing-along’s are uproarious, much to the delight of the Nicholas in particular.

Finishing their three-song encore with ‘Just A Day’, the band have flown through the songs with ease and fluidity that can only be found in true skill. These guys have perfected their craft. Everything so admirably sounds pitch-perfect, appearing effortless to the onlooker. They have mastered the art of sounding extraordinary both on their records and on stage, something that should be observed by many other bands. Take note, guys; this is how it’s done.

SETLIST

Home

Insomnia

This Town

Feeling A Moment

Renegades

Pushing The Senses

Just The Way I’m Feeling

Down To The River

Buck Rogers

Come Back Around

Seven Days In The Sun