Gaslight Anthem - Thurs 21st March - O2 Academy

Stop anyone on the street and ask them if they’ve heard of New Jersey’s Gaslight Anthem and you’ll almost certainly get a frown and a shake of the head.  All the more amazing then that ‘the boys from Little Eden’ have managed to sell-out not just one but two consecutive chilly nights at the O2 Academy.  Bruce Springsteen’s favourite band are riding a wave after joining a mainstream label and finally getting a taste of the big time following the success of last year’s Top 10 album ‘Handwritten’. 

Gravelly throated frontman Brian Fallon’s tales of life above and below the boardwalk have helped the once punky quartet to almost cult-like status in the UK.  Usual opener ‘High Lonesome’ is a fair indication of the hurtling blue-collar rock’n’roll that has become the band’s trademark; rousing anthemic choruses about classic cars and old rock stars on the radio, tidy guitars, urgent drums and arguably the most passionate vocals in rock at the moment.  Tonight’s set is a more hit-packed event than the following night with tracks mostly from breakthrough album and fan’s favourite ’59 Sound’ mixed with the more introspective but equally rewarding ‘Handwritten.’ 

Early on and it’s the title track from the album that has the crowd clapping in unison as Alex Rosamilia’s Fender Jazzmaster delivers his most soaring masterclass yet in front of the dangerously packed audience.  ‘Even Cowgirls Get The Blues,’ another one better live than in studio is a blues tinged gospel riot that gives the crowd a breather without being any less impressively rousing.  Fallon may have been advised to curb the usual charming onstage chatter that was a staple of their early UK tours however he still looks every bit the cat that got the cream, full of smiles and playful banter between his bandmates despite their grueling schedule.

A fairly needless ‘House Of The Rising Sun’ throws it off course a little but by the time they’ve weaved in the odd b-side and progressed to the all-conquering ‘Great Expectations’ there’s no doubting the stadium-filling potential.  It’s a far from original formula but the tight group have borrowed and fused well-loved genres of folk, rock and punk to please the masses achieving the same collective bond between themselves and the audience and the audience and each other that is rarely experienced.  Fallon’s songwriting is maturing to match his wardrobe of checked shirts, but it’s far from dour and dull as gritty emotional quandaries are played out with driving pomp to a beaming audience. 

‘59 Sound’ is a pop-rock masterpiece it’s astonishing power too much for even the hardiest meat-head in the crowd to cope with.  Fittingly the night ends with a triumphant cover of Who classic ‘Baba O’Riley’ to which Fallon joins Dave Grohl doppelganger Benny Horrowitz on drums before throwing his bandmate’s seat across the stage.  An ode to fun, youth and friendship it sums it all up; soft-rock and -er well, anthemic Americana that packs a punch and a performance that only enhances their live reputation as one of the finest around.

Kindly published by Venue:
http://www.venue.co.uk/music-live-reviews-g/20397-gaslight-anthem

Best Track: Click on link below
The Gaslight Anthem - 'Handwritten'

Setlist:

1. High Lonesome
2. Casanova, Baby!
3. Old White Lincoln
4. Handwritten
5. 45
6. Señor and the Queen
7. Orphans
8. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
9. House of the Rising Sun (The Animals cover)
10.Miles Davis and the Cool
11.Howl
12.Biloxi Parish
13.Blue Dahlia
14.The Queen of Lower Chelsea
15.Great Expectations
16.Keepsake

Encore:

17.She Loves You
18.Here Comes My Man
19.Mulholland Drive
20.American Slang
21.The '59 Sound
22.Baba O'Riley

Albums;