65DAYSOFSTATIC

PLUS: &U&I and Tall Ships
Arts Centre, Colchester
15/07/2010

Words and Photos: Daniel Maslanka

Tonight’s support bands both came from a Rock Electronica background which was most definitely the theme for tonight. First up was Tall Ships. A young 3 piece with an eye for a good song.  Each member seemed to be enjoying the attention that the very small crowd and the photographers were giving them. Throughout their set, the trio moved close together in the centre of the stage to gather momentum and erupt into big sections or finishes. The skills of the young men showed most when they swapped instruments to change the pace and variety of their sound. A slightly more energetic stage show would help their progressive and unusual performance but they are sure worth seeing if they play near you.

Second on was the electrifying &U&I. A mixture of ‘Coheed & Cambria’ type vocals with emphatic riffs and beats. The front-man certainly was out there to enjoy the night, celebrating his birthday and playing a great set. An enthusiastic performance by the group showed throughout each song. Technical guitar work and floor shaking beats proved to be a great concoction for rock electronica bliss. A new band on the radar and one that I’m sure, if they play their cards right will have a bright future.

65 Days Of Static came onto the stage in front of what was a very small crowd to now being a semi full arts centre. With a long awaited entrance the band walked onto the stage one by one and to an ovation which seemed to lack much enthusiasm (possibly due to the fact there were a few hic-cups before hand causing a delay). The guys got straight into the set by delivering a powerful build up of big drums, guitar and synth. While showcasing the Essex crowd material from their newest album, the audience were being stubborn into showing the band what they really thought of the songs. Although each song was cheered and applauded, you couldn’t help but think that people were finding it hard to get into it all.The band soldiered on through their set getting better and louder as each song went by and to be fair the crowd grew in confidence and were starting to sing along and move to the vigorous beats. Eventually after the initial hesitance, the band used the atmosphere from the crowd to deliver a grand finish to what proved to be a solid set and overall performance.With this being the first time I’ve seen the Sheffield based band and seeing all the hype and talk about them, i can understand why they are tipped to go onto big things. Delivering dance filled synth complimented with hard bass, rock filled guitar and thumping drums, its a recipe that delivers a great sound and show.

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