Reviewed by:
iamweasel, on september 19, 2007
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: Over the last couple of years Reuben have proved themselves to be one of the most exciting British alt-rock bands, and while their fan-base is still surprisingly small, it is as dedicated as any following of any band ever to walk the earth. And having released their new album, the critically acclaimed "In Nothing We Trust" just three weeks prior to this show, the small, but excited, crowd that had gathered at the Trowbridge Civic Hall, in Somerset, UK, could hardly wait out the 8 or 9 support bands that preceded them. To a lot of the crowd, the fact that these bands included some of Britain's finest emerging acts (including Devil Sold His Soul, Exit Ten and Ghost of a Thousand) didn't matter at all, for them it was always going to be about the headliners. And so once Brigade finished their set, the crowd quickly gathered at the barriers in keen anticipation of the Surrey three-piece.
Reuben have always maintained a less-is-more approach when it comes to equipment (for live shows, frontman Jamie Lenman favours a Laney combo amp and a single channel-switch pedal). For anyone who hadn't seen Reuben before, it would be perfectly understandable to assume the band's live sound is bland, straight-forward and lacking in diversity. However, any doubts or worries about the sound are dispelled immediately as the band emerge on stage and tear into 'No One Wins The War' a song that displays, perhaps better than any other, that this band's sound comes purely from the dynamics, and chemistry they have. And once that realisation is made, it doesn't matter that they don't have huge pedal boards and walls of stacks, because they have the songs, the energy and the passion that instantly puts them above 99% of bands in the world. Tonight the sound is spot on, energy is high, and it looks like everyone's having a great time. And that's just after one song. // 10
Perfomance: From here, they tear straight into another up-tempo song 'Some Mothers Do Ave Em', the crowd not hesitating to form a pit. Jamie Lenman's screams in the midsection are so intense, that you might wonder that the band will peak way too early in the set. Then, as if to specifically to prove this wrong, they casually fire off the first single from their latest album, the furious 'Blood Bunny Larkhall', the end verse getting the first impressive crowd sing along of the evening, despite Jamie Lenman screwing up the chords, "You know the songs better than I do!" he remarks after; anyone in the crowd Who wasn't already won over by the music, is won over by the frontman's trademark banter and wit, and from then on he has the few hundred people Who are gathered in the room, in the palm of his hand. So it's a perfect opportunity to dip a little deeper into the Reuben back catalogue; enter "Parties Break Hearts" a short, sweet song that brings even more energy, and gets the crowd jumping.
Lenman then announces "This is a song from our second album, it's called Lights Out" and once again everyone's jumping, singing, screaming, and loving every second, and it's impossible to deny just how infectious this band's melodies are. Realising it's probably time for a slower song, Jamie instructs the crowd to form a circle around a couple dancing in the middle (who didn't know eachother), as if they have just been married. "This will be their first song as a married couple" he jokes, and the band stroll through Song For Saturday, crowd attention divided equally between the band and the strangers dancing uncomfortably in the middle of the crowd, and amidst the singing and the laughter, no one in the room could possibly deny just how fun this band are. Even the few people there Who'd never before heard of Reuben, jumping and dancing in the presence of their new favourite band. From one extreme to the other, the next song is another from the new album; 'We're All Going Home In Am Ambulance' and it gets possibly the biggest response of the evening. It was a truly beautiful sight watching a couple of hundred sweaty teenagers screaming 'You're going home in a f--king ambulance!' during the song's mid-section, while Jamie Lenman watched over, with his cheeky little grin on his face.
Due to a delay in the support acts, and the early curfew time, when the band next play signature song 'Freddy Kreuger' some in the crowd (including this writer) worry that the band is ending their set, so when they carry on playing, it's made even sweeter by the fact Jamie Lenman points to me and declares to the crowd "This song's for that guy" before tearing through the intense old Live favourite "Banner Held High" (a song I'd requested to Jamie before the show). The energy reaches ridiclous levels, and the barriers start violently shaking. Crowd surfers are manhandled by the bouncers, there's pushing, punching, screaming, grabbing, and every single person in that room is loving every second. It gets even better when Jamie turns to the side of the stage and says "Have we gotta stop playing now? Ahh we'll play a couple more" before strapping on his trademark "Boom!" guitar and they play another Live favourite; "Keep It To Yourself", which gets everyone pogoing. He then tells Jon to "go downstairs" (i.e. tune to B) and informs the crowd that they're going to play their new single, which happens to be one of the most upbeat and catchy songs from their new album 'Deadly Lethal Ninja Assassin'. And during the brilliant, and quite frankly ridiculous bridge ("You're dressed like a victorian at a swimming pool") something becomes so clear. So blatant, it can be seen from the expression of the band's faces. The reason they have such a dedicated fan-base; not simply the fact they write amazing songs, and play amazing live shows, they actually love what they do. They really care, about the music and the fans. They possess the kind of passion that virtually no other bands do; it's incredibly powerful, even life-affirming that performers and artists like this still exist, in an industry dominated by sugar faces and plastic smiles. And so when they announce they're going to play their last song ("I'll give you a clue as to what it is-it's none of the f--king songs you're shouting out!" jokes Jamie amidst cries of "Return of the Jedi", "Moving to Blackwater" and "Stuck In My Throat") before chugging out the riff to old favourite 'Let's Stop Hanging Out' (arguably the song that got them where they are today) it's literally impossible not to love this band. For those Who went as hardcore fans, tonight only confirmed what they already knew, for the casual fans it was more than enough of an incentive to invest more time in Reuben, and for those who'd gone never having heard of the band, it could well of the been the start of something special. Even if my biad is casuing me to look too much into it, it was at the very, very least a night of amazing music, incredible entertainment, and a fine display of how powerful music can really be. // 10
Impression: Once again, on July 15th 2007, at the Trowbridge Civic Hall, Reuben confirmed they have it all. The power, the passion, the melodies, the dynamics, absolutely everything. Don't pass up the chance to witness their live show, I can garauntee you will walk away feeling better for having seen them. // 10
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