The problem with music is, as I’ve recently discovered for myself, is that it’s too much of a drug. You don’t realize how addicted to it you are. You’ll always know when it starts, because it’s that gig that sends you off on a buzz that you’ll remember forever but you’ve never felt since. And then when you see that band again, there’s a high that’s not the same but it’s still not something you want to escape.
Normally, I don’t mention the support bands, but I feel that We Are The Ocean deserve a say. A cross between Funeral for a Friend and Cook (from Skins), the atmosphere rocketed when they played. It was helped by the evident camaraderie that their loyal fans portrayed by screaming the lyrics back to the band; lyrics that were indistinguishable to us mere onlookers. But their energy was enough to impress and infect us.
The drug analogy came to me after the gig had finished, walking back to the flat; and honestly, it’s the only way I can describe my experience of The Used’s Manchester gig. It wasn’t necessary to jump and scream to Blood on my Hands or The Best of Me, it was enough to get lost in the music by doing whatever felt right.
It was a fast paced set – almost too fast paced, because by the time it ended it felt like no time at all. Even looking back, it felt devastating when they said it was the last song. The thing that made up for this (as well as everything else they did), was that hardly any new songs were played. Now, as much as I can hail the new album, it just emphasized that camaraderie that We Are The Ocean introduced. It was a show for all the fans that put them where they were, a thank you. And that’s so respectful.
It’s difficult to put into words how the mood, how five hundred people can change their moods from crazy and excited to almost erotic in the time it takes for the introduction of a song to finish and the actual song to start. Come Undone changed the mood just like that, without missing a beat, without anything dropping.
The same happens with the first song of the inevitable encore – On My Own. It was definitely a highlight, easy to play over and over again and remember the feeling it gave you but difficult to put it down in words. Euphoria comes to mind, because it’s close to me, but somehow it seems unjust describing it that way; it’s such a cliché. It felt like perfect contentment, adrenaline and intimate would feel if they were bundled up and injected into you.
I think anyone who goes to see The Used live and only knows their most recent record will have a difficult time enjoying it. And I think that even if you don’t like the band, the energy at this, or any gig that certainly I’ve been to, is inescapable.
But that’s from me: an avid, lifelong fan.
