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CHANGE THE RECORD Review: INK @ 02 Academy

Live Review: Heartrock Live – O2 Academy, Newcastle, August 14th 2009

Heartrock Live have only recently started to showcase this kind of gig at the O2 Academy, Newcastle, but they’re certainly causing quite a stir, bringing the best and newest local talent to play a bigger stage and flourish, here’s how it went down…
With a rather sluggish start to the night comes two-piece (yes, two-piece) I Can Fly, Why Can’t You? Unfortunately, they’re no more than an interesting name; they sound muffled, and quite bluntly, boring. Their semi-acoustic sounds provide nothing more than a slight warm up for the rest of tonight’s acts, and in fairness, their louder, more energetic points of songs sound bearable, but the quieter, more gentle sides of their tunes border on embarrassing tonight; not even a solo acoustic end can turn around what is a rather drab start to the nights proceedings.
At the other end of the spectrum, pop-rocking five piece INK cause a stir, really livening up proceedings. The crowd are far more into the band thankfully, who are full of energy. Powered forward by some very strong vocals, INK give off a sound really taking a step into the Madina Lake/The Blackout lands, but it’s very compelling stuff, and they certainly keep their gathering audience alert. Their songs are catchy as hell, and topped off with an excellent cover of Lady GaGa’s Just Dance, INK prove to be a more than capable and enjoyable talent for the night.
It may seem like this website reviews Kaikoura every gig, rest assured it is not the case; they just always happen to be on the bill. Tonight is no exception, and once again, they go down a treat. They’ve yet to find a crowd that will either really move to their boisterous, edgy sound, or a crowd with at least enough people to do so. Tonight, there’s plenty of heads watching, but nobody seems to really get into it. To the trained gig eye, this band are fantastic; it’s melody and energy, and there’s plenty of it to go around tonight, even if the punters don’t take to it.
Your Only give the distinct impression of one Flood Of Red. The five piece sound and look extremely similar, playing distinctively loud, slow, and heavy. Their sound is none-the-less tight, and the ever-gathering crowd surprisingly seem to be right into it. Technical difficulties mid-set give them a slight troubling, but they battle it bravely and really pull off possibly the best reaction of the night by the end of their set; an almighty cheer erupting, signalling they’ve definitely done a great job tonight.
Albeit the longest entrance in existence, tonight’s headliners try something a little different. Suzi:Won take the stage adorned in face masks and black and white stage gear. The beats and disco-tech synth starts to take effect, and it’s clear the audience are already hooked. They look like Hollywood Undead and they sound like My Passion, but somehow the 4-piece manage to make it seem fresh and original. The first few rows in attendance are positively smitten at the accessible dance beats, and frontman Rossi really has the crowd in his grasp. Tight, precise, and really great fun, it’s something you really don’t see in many local bands these days; the drumming in particular really holding everything together and making the set flow perfectly. The band play tracks from an as-yet-unreleased EP due in October, and the crowd are really into this, as the circa fourteens in the first few rows dance for their lives like it’s one big party. A really tight set pulled off incredibly well, and Suzi:Won go down a treat; the North-East has a great new prospect on its hands.
- George. - CHANGE THE RECORD