Pioneer gig review 7th Jan
Jamie reviews the first Pioneer gig of 2011
Praden get the first show of the new year. Their post hardcore/pop punk style shined tonight. The highlight of their set was a rough, powerful cover of “Number 1 by Tinchy Stryder ft N – Dubz”. However, they did end their set on a belter - It was a catchy pop punk with a huge chorus and great energy. It was a praiseworthy way to end a set, and left the crowd in a fun, energetic mood. They started this show to give the feeling of what the Pioneer should feel like every week, and the anticipation of The Understated and Don Broco no doubt helped towards this atmosphere.
Voices, formally called 'She Falls Apart' after a line-up change, were the second band to take to the stage. It began with a huge ominous intro, then the guitars roared into action, as well as the vocalists screams. These screams had two effects on the listener, firstly they added a unique character to the sound of the band. Secondly it felt like your ear drums had been pierced and ruined causing one major headache. You could only really decide when you heard them live but I’d made my decision. They had some decent songs in their set but didn’t really put any energy into it what dragged out the set a little bit; however, the instrumentals were epic.
A kick in the teeth. That is the only phrase I can use to describe how The Understated break into the gig tonight. It was fast and brutal from start to finish, they didn’t let up not even for a second. Their cover of “One Republic’s – Apologise” definitely showed their quality. They finally had the right mixture of energy and top notch songs to get the Pioneer moving tonight. The vocalist, Neil Bailey, gave them a colossal, and powerful sound, he put in a great performance tonight. There was only one thing I kept on thinking after their performance and it was, ”This is brilliant”.
Next up were Don Broco……
After a stunning performance from The Understated, the anticipation for Don Broco grew by the second, having supported Enter Shikari at their Hatfield gigs in December. This was also a kind of “warm up” gig before their tour in February. They were going to have to pull something rather good out of the bag if they are to top The Understated. They didn’t disappoint. They began with the thumping, “Thug Workout”, to put it simply, it is a tune. It also created a mental, crazy and just insane atmosphere in the Pioneer. They had really made this good gig into a great gig, with their sing-a-long chorus, melodic verses and well mastered breakdowns, along with the obvious swagger that their vocalist, Rob Damiani, has. They just had something about their performance that made them a joy to watch and hear. It was a really polished and professional performance that the crowd were experiencing. They truly blitzed this show, and are probably going to do the same on their tour. Roll on February.