It’s been seven years of wait, I think, for Manchester fans, those who don’t travel lots anyway, but it was finally here. GlassJaw in the land of Manc. I could have shit.
It’s a horrible day, shit weather, hangover, wet feet, I HATE wet feet, panic attacks, the whole sha-bang, but none of that matters, because tonight, GlassJaw are playing the academy, and I got tickets.
After a duo of poor support acts, Glassjaw take the stage. Ex-straight-edge vocalist Daryl Palumbo gets stuck in to his first on stage beer before greeting the crowd, the band are ready, and just as my friend Tom assumed, “Tip Your Bartender” is the opener, and what a fucking opener. The band are insanely tight, and even watching them, it is hard to believe it is truly happening.
Palumbo’s choice of attire is a strange, wearing a jumper that looks like it was knitted by his gran, but this is soon removed and his skinny physique is shown to all.
As the band tear through a number of tracks, new and old, with new tracks such as “Jesus Glue” getting fans more stifled than a crate of cold ones and a double hit of Viagra, this post-hardcore piece clarify themselves as the kings of the scene once again, making every record you bought since Worship and Tribute seem almost sacrilege.
There is one thing missing though, even with rare fan favourites such as “El Mark” and “Convectuouso” exploding into the set and making every member of the audiences ear drums feel like an A-bomb blowing in a bath tub, the set seems to mainly consist of new and W&S tracks, there has not been one song from the almighty, “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence,” and as much as “Pink Roses” and single, “Ape Dos Mil” are utter classics from the GJ catalogue, the audience seemed to be salivating for at least one from the 2000 masterpiece, or maybe that was just the puddle of vomit around my feet. Cheers Mark.
But wait, the show aint over yet, with Palumbo shouting, “Can I get another beer up here?” (Palumbo asking for a beer, still seems crazy) off-stage, before addressing the audience with something I think was, “This is another song instead of the encore crap,” the band tear into the almighty, the ear canal shredding, “Pretty Lush.” The dream has come true for anyone who, like me, has waited the stupid amount of years for this show, and it doesn’t stop there, next up in the final three, (all taken from EYEWTKAS) is fan favourite and first ever single for the four-piece, “Siberian Kiss.” This is where Daryl and the boys show their musical experience, with Palumbo’s vocals reaching new and almost impossible heights, as insane as ever, if not more so, yet still somehow maintaining that mellifluous edge that could make the coldest of souls feel the melodic torture emanating from the throat of the Crohn’s disease suffering frontman.
Final song, how could they end such a gig? “Babe” is how. Out of all of GJ’s songs, Babe is definitely up there as one of the most brutal and hardcore by far. This just over a minute and half slice of raw, destructive beauty leaves the crowd mentally wanting more, yet physically unable to handle it. The band leave stage with odd rapidity, and the house lights come up.
This was not by any stretch a disappointing gig, the exact opposite in fact. The shit weather, crap supports and slight lack of EYEWTKAS tracks, could not stop the band blowing me away, even Martin had the time of his life, regardless of how little he knew the lyrics.
-Ian Critchley.
I wish I’d have been able to go. If only GMPTE didn’t put on such a shitty Sunday night service. That said, I’d have probably been in the same boat as Martin. Still, it sounds like it was awesome.
I’d have also needed to tout a ticket, but that’s beside the point. GMPTE are the ones who need blaming!
Probably in my top 5 bands ever, but I thought they sucked in Manchester. Too many new songs, no crowd interaction at all, just screaming through siberian kiss, etc. Daryl seemed like he wanted to be elsewhere. Very disappointing.
Ever since Palumbo has decided to do drugs/alcohol, it has affected his songwriting abilities. We all know drugs/alcohol can kill the angst and that was fuel for Glassjaw.