I recently had the pleasure of seeing Chicago punk band, Alkaline Trio in London.
The venue was Koko in Camden, the ticket price was modest and the build up was electric.
Pop rock band The Audition, were supporting with a set of lyrically toe curling songs, and even cringier audience engagement. After what felt like days front man Danny Stevens, concluded their performance by verbally assaulting the audience and storming off stage because someone had apparently heckled. No it wasn't me.
Finally the lights were dimmed, illuminating a back drop of cover art from Trio's latest album 'Agony and Irony'. My heart sank slightly. You see, this album is a eclectic mix of all things generic with a disturbing radio rock vibe throughout. After signing to major label Sony, and even a stint on MTV's fake fest 'The Hills' it's no wonder Skiba, Grant and Andriano bore such a redundant record.
However, bands like Alkaline Trio don't come around often and trust me their entire back catalogue more than makes up for the adulterous 'Agony and Irony'. They opened with the first track from the album 'Calling All Skeletons', which in fairness is a crowd pleaser. But playing songs from their latest creation was short lived, as they launched into songs like 'Mr Chainsaw', 'Maybe I'll Catch Fire' and 'This Could Be Love', reminding the audience why they fell in love with the trio in the first place.
It seems Alkaline Trio have grown up, and out of their old style considerably. I suppose marriage and therapy can do that to artists. They still know how to put on a show, and a damn good one at that. Feeding the crowd with a mix of old and new songs, most likely intended for old and new fans.
The last two songs, a cover of 'The KKK Took My Baby Away' by The Ramones and Alkaline Trio's infamous melodic 'Radio' concluded their set, leaving me with a great big smile on my face, as I was reminded of how much I love this band.
Here's a snippet of their performance
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