Poison the Well + Cry For Silence & Ghost of a Thousand
Carling Academy, Islington
12th March 2007
Firstly, my apologies ring out to the lads in Ghost of a Thousand. No matter how early you leave home to get to a gig in time for the support acts, getting on the wrong tube line and ending up further away from the venue than you started with is guaranteed to make you miss the first band on the bill. However, vocalist Tom Lacey informs me that they put on a ‘blinding show’, and there’s little reason to doubt him, judging by the swarm of impressed young faces that surround him and his band mates as they set up camp by the merch stand after their performance.
Following on from Kerrang!’s most hyped band of 2007 are London’s very own Cry for Silence. With a soon to be released debut album, much of tonight’s set is dedicated to airing tracks off the record. Unfortunately, as is often the case for support acts at metal shows, it’s a struggle to actually hear the band properly as the PA rig just doesn’t seem to accommodate for their sound. Ultimately, they end up sounding messy and confused, through no fault of their own.
Poison The Well seem ecstatic to be back onstage in London after quite some time away. With their fourth LP ‘Versions’ set the be released in under a month’s time, it’s quite an occasion too, with a fair amount of fresh material being aired amongst old favourites such as ‘Slice Paper Wrists’ and ‘Nerdy’. If a band of this calibre could be described as ‘polished’, then Poison the Well would be it.
What’s truly wonderful about this band though, is that no matter how aggressive their sound and stage show may be, they still come across as a very humble bunch of lads. When vocalist Jeffrey Morelra takes the time in between songs to thank the crowd, the support and everyone else involved for making this tour a reality, any sense of arrogance, self-righteousness and anger melts away. It’s quite a sight to see such intense aggression and honest gratitude in the same set, but PTW have it down to a tee, and it’s a sight not to be missed.
Andy R
www.myspace.com/poisonthewell
www.myspace.com/cryforsilence
www.myspace.com/ghostofathousand