Review
RISE AGAINST
PLUS: Tom Morrello and Polar Bear Club
UEA, Norwich
10th November 2011
Words and Photos: Charlie Wallis
From the get go tonight the floor is completely packed and to get things started New York’s Polar Bear Club are nothing short of heroic. There’s an effervescent energy that accompanies their arrival that you don’t often see in an opening act, with an eruption of sound and the flailing limbs of lead singer Jimmy Stadt. This is a band that have begun to really leave their mark of the UK music scene and this tour is just another step in the right direction. The frenzied performance culminates with big sing along moments and the response from the already packed venue is overwhelmingly positive.
Polar Bear Club
Unfortunately Tom Morrello’s set as ‘The Night Watchman’ arguably gets off to less exhilarating start. After the thrill of seeing the guitarist from ‘Rage Against the Machine’ wears off, the start of the set seems to consist of a fairly bland range of songs and a not much more animated performance. That’s not to say the performance wasn’t without merit. The rousing ‘One Man Revolution’ goes down well, if for no other reason than it’s the only song the audience know (apart from the brief Rage interlude). There is, as expected, some fairly impressive guitar playing in Morrello’s trademark style and it’s a fairly special moment when he gets Polar Bear club back out onstage accompanied by the members of Rise Against for a rendition of “World Wide Rebel Songs”. All in all as a stand alone performance it held its own but seemed an odd fit sound and feeling wise with the other bands.
Tom Merrello
Rise Against hit the stage full throttle as they explode into their first number and bodies start to topple over one another. Tonight finds guitarist and bassist Zach Blair and Joe Principie running to and from either side of the stage and leaping from the drum kit while singer Tim McIlrath acts as ring leader to the swirling pit with every ounce of his passion on display.
One thing that can be said about Rise Against’s set tonight is perhaps there is an over-reliance on newer material from recent albums and a move away from older favorites. Having said that there is still something for everyone in the set list tonight and the high intensity performance Rise Against enthralls even those not so well versed in their more recent works. Rise Against strike the balance between playing music and affirming the political side of their music well with nod towards the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, as well as keeping things local speaking out against the closing of the UEA’s music department which the audience really responds to.
Rise Against
What makes Rise Against stand out from the plethora of punk bands with the same sort of sound and message is the atmosphere they create when they play live. The connection with the crowd is second to none whether its in the frenetic ‘Survive’, to the moment everyone’s expecting when the acoustic comes out for ‘Swing Life Away’, which is arguably topped by an emotional and stirring rendition of ‘Hero of War’. All in all as Rise Against close their set with thunderous performances of “Give it All” and ‘Saviour’ there is little doubt that Rise Against thoroughly deserve their place at the top of the punk hierarchy.
