Birmingham’s XOYO is a seriously cool venue. The sort of place normally only seen in American horror movies, think Hellraiser III and you’re on the right track for the grimy industrial vibe the venue exudes. Split over two levels with lots of exposed brick and metal panels, it has a sense of character all too rare in modern rock venues, further bolstered by competent, friendly staff, and a comprehensive bar.
Once inside, it’s heartening to find that the place is packed with an enthusiastic and eclectic audience. From old dudes wearing gnarly metal shirts to younger fans wearing brand new DPU t-shirts, it’s clear that the band have a broad appeal and, from the way the packed pit goes off the moment the Xcerts take to the stage, it’s also clear everyone’s here for a great time.
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Unfortunately, due to work, traffic and a painfully early curfew, we don’t make it in time for Snake Eyes, which is a shame because the audience were buzzing about their set. Here’s an excellent video from the band and we strongly recommend you check them out:
Back to the plot…
Hailing from Scotland, The Xcerts are a grungy, alt rock outfit who offer strong melodic choruses and heavily distorted guitars. Although not helped by an initially muddy, sound, frantic gesturing from the stage leads to things levelling out nicely and, by the time opening track Live Like This is over, the band are in their element.
Similar to DPU, but not as eclectic, the band are quite content to tell the story of a weird Birmingham stalker who attended all their shows, only to shout “Biffy Clyro” at them – although it’s unclear if he was comparing them favourably to their Scottish brethren, or using it as a term of derision. Either way, there’s certainly an element of Biffy’s melodicism to the Xcert’s sound and, although they’re often heavier, it’s rare that they resist the temptation to crash land into a radio friendly chorus.
However, what really keeps us on side is the raw energy the band exude. In an era when bands seem to be increasingly relying on screens and gimmicks in order to make waves, it’s great to see a band rocking out so convincingly, and the fans respond accordingly.
Ultimately, while Xcerts may not have quite the range of DPU, when they pull out the closing double whammy of Feels Like Falling In Love (complete with a cappella finale) and Gimme, they showcase both their most anthemic elements of their sound and their wilder side, leaving the stage to loud and sustained applause.
And so, the stage is set – the audience well and truly warmed up – for Dinosaur Pile Up. To say that anticipation is high is an understatement; the crowd surges toward the stage before a note is played and, when the Beastie Boy’s Fight For Your Right blazes from the speakers, it triggers a mass singalong that runs from the packed front to the very back of the venue.
It’s a brave band that sets up their entrance against such a classic anthem of rebellion, but Dinosaur Pile Up are riding high on the back of excellent new album I’ve Felt Better and, when they unleash the opening riff to ‘Bout To Lose It, the whole place goes up like a powder keg that has only been in need of match. Highlighting the fact that the crowd have been waiting for tonight’s show, everyone knows every bloody word – not just to old favourites, but to all the new songs they air tonight – and there are times that the audience easily overpower the band in terms of volume.
This is certainly the case during Celebrity Mansions, which paves the way for I’ve Felt Better (surely the greatest song Everclear never wrote) and Sick Of Being Down, the latter way heavier in its live incarnation, sending bodies tumbling over the safety barrier and causing security some consternation.
The ramshackle nature of the show is laid bare when the band play Round The Bend massively out of tune and then break a snare during the conclusion but, while Matt Bigland asks if it sounded as bad out front as it did on stage, it still rocked, even if the chorus was a touch wince-inducing. At any event, all is forgiven when, with the snare repaired, the band lurch into the raging alt-metal of Pouring Gasoline.
With a large portion of the set dedicated to I’ve Felt Better, Matt leaves bassist Jim Cratchely to handle the instrumentation alone while he focuses on vocals in the second half of the set. It makes for a hell of a run, too, with the band tearing through Love’s The Worst, Don’t Love Nothing and, to the audience’s very great delight, My Way. We even get the band performing their cover of Tricky, with Matt having to read the lyrics as they only decided to add it to the set last minute. They then wrap things up with a rampant 11:11, leaving the stage as the crowd cry out for more.
With the band clearly fired up by the wave of adulation from this steaming venue, they return for a three-song encore that rocks the place to its very foundations. The absurd Thrash Metal Cassette does exactly what it says on the tin, Big Dog (for which the crowd have been barking all night) positively explodes and then, all too soon, the band end out an unstoppable performance with Back Foot, leaving the pit to stream out into the rapidly cooling night air.
There are times, as a reviewer, where it can become a bit tiring going to shows where a crowd just stands, watching a band give their all on stage, barely moving a muscle. However, seeing the assembled throng go absolutely ape both for Xcerts and Dinosaur Pile Up is a heartening reminder that rock ‘n’ roll has maintained its transcendent power to bring people of all ages and tastes together. Here at XOYO, with no gimmicks, big screens, or gleaming rows of effects processors, there’s just the crowd and three guys on stage throwing themselves into their music with power and passion. Sure things go out of tune, volume levels fluctuate, and snares break, but that’s all an integral part of the joy of playing live – it should be unpredictable – and Dinosaur Pile Up recall the heady spirit of the alt rock movement, where a passion for the performance trumped all other considerations.
A huge amount of fun, tonight’s show (the first of the tour) celebrated Dinosaur Pile Up’s long-awaited return in style – long may they run because tonight they were fucking awesome.
