There are few bands in today's cut-throat music making industry that can say they are as hardworking as the outfit that top the bill at tonight's Bristol Academy, Feeder. One of the main reasons why I enjoy listening to Feeder is the fact that they make good, solid indie-rock music and have been constant throughout their years whilst still seeming to be genuine blokes. You're never going to watch a live Feeder show and depart feeling disappointed. On the road promoting their latest studio offering 'Renegades', Thursday evening, October 27th, Feeder swung by a sold-out Bristol O2 Academy to deliver yet another live performance of their vast catalogue to their devoted army of fans.
Having listened to their music through the years, lets not forget this is a band that have been churning out the hits for nearly a decade now, Feeder are reknown for their typical brand of heavy indie choruses and jangly guitar melodies. However, this time around, Feeder's sound is on steroids!
The house lights dim and a bustling Bristol O2 Academy plunges into darkness. The anticipation builds with The Good The Bad And The Ugly theme fading in over the PA, preparing us all for what is expected to be another solid Feeder performance. The lights fade up and the trio arrive onstage to a wave of applause and cheers before firing straight into new 'Renegades' track 'Barking Dogs'. Rememeber what I said about Steroids? Feeder's new heavier sound gets showcased instantly with the heavy guitar and drums-driven track rocking up the crowd to a sprawling mass of arms within seconds.
The set's opening track gets a huge cheer from the crowd before we launch into 'Insomnia'. Keeping the fast pace, the track is greeted with the first sing-a-long of the evening. At least on the chorus anyway! The next two numbers are another two tracks from 'Renegades' with the distinctively harder sound returning for 'Senitmental' and 'This Town'.
Alternating between old and new material throughout the set, Feeder slow the pace and take us back five years to the release of their 'Pushing the Senses' album. Delivering an uplifting rendition of 'Feeling A Moment', the whole crowd get involved with the 'Whoooooo-oooooooo Whoooooo-oooooooo' vocals before we're slowly eased back into the head-bopping/head-banging (depending on where you were standing) heavy guitar chords of new album title-track 'Renegades'.
Pausing only briefly between songs to say “thank you”, lead-vocalist and guitarist Grant Nicholas gives another hugely enthusiastic performance as he and bassist Taka Hirose bounce through the set. Perhaps letting the music do the talking, the trio have little interaction with the crowd apart from showing their appreciation for the support act - as well as the fans of course - with quick a few quick thank yous littered throughout the performance.
The second half of the set continues with Feeder keeping to the the mix of old and new tracks. Next up we slow the pace for 'Pushing The Senses' followed by new track 'Down To The River' and 'Just The Way Im Feeling'. Feeder did a good job slowing the pace before belting out outstanding renditons of 'Buck Rogers' and 'White Lines', which saw drummer Karl Brazil and a helpful band roadie switch what must've been a damged snare drum mid-song! Whether you were an old or new fan of Feeder, you really couldnt fault the set as it rolled through hit after hit.
We're taken back to 2002 for a brilliant performance of 'Come Back Around' before the heavy stuff is rolled out again for new album track 'Home'. 'High', taken from Feeder's 1997 album 'Polythene' gives some of us a nostalgic trip down memory lane (some to our school days!) before we're given the opportunity to rock out to both 'Lost & Found' and 'Call Out' before one last thank you from Grant and the guys. The guys play a main set of just over an hour but the the fast pace makes it feel like Ive only been here for five minutes!
'Seven Days In The Sun' and 'Just A Day' wrap up the encore of a performance from a band that further cemented their reputation of being, in my opinion, one of the best bands to come out of the UK. With Feeder's new sound being lapped up by fans across the world, look out Foo Fighters, your days leading the pack of mainstream guitar-driven rock could be numbered!
Stereoboard Gig Rating: 8/10
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The house lights dim and a bustling Bristol O2 Academy plunges into darkness. The anticipation builds with The Good The Bad And The Ugly theme fading in over the PA, preparing us all for what is expected to be another solid Feeder performance. The lights fade up and the trio arrive onstage to a wave of applause and cheers before firing straight into new 'Renegades' track 'Barking Dogs'. Rememeber what I said about Steroids? Feeder's new heavier sound gets showcased instantly with the heavy guitar and drums-driven track rocking up the crowd to a sprawling mass of arms within seconds.
