Americans Abroad!!! Live in London!!!,
Against Me!
Live albums are always a huge gamble for a band to release. Too often they're let down by poor recording quality, too much banter and not enough music, or by the band simply having an 'off day'. So naturally when I received 'Against Me!'s live effort, I was sceptical to say the least. As a huge fan of the band, I didn't want to be let down by a poor live record that would ultimately change my opinions of them. Fortunately they've done themselves proud. Despite my appreciation for the band, I've never actually been able to catch them live for various reasons (most recently I was sleeping off a hangover at this year's Reading Festival when they were playing). After listening to 'American's Abroad' I'll be sure not to make that mistake again.
Right from the 'brief yet triumphant introduction', you can just feel the energy bouncing off the walls of the Mean Fiddler on the night of this show. The band don't slip musically, and right throughout the 53 minutes of their set, they play almost exactly as you'd expect 'Against Me!' should, even if you've only heard one of their previous CDs.
All the old favourites are here - 'Reinventing Axl Rose', 'Those Anarcho Punks are Mysterious' and 'Cliché Guevara' are all present and correct, while new track 'Americans Abroad' shows definite promise for future albums, and I personally cannot wait for a studio recorded version of this song.
Throughout the entire recording you can hear the 600-strong audience singing along, though fortunately they don't overpower the band. The balance between actual musicians and fans singing along on this record has obviously been given extra attention during the recording process, and the results satisfy. Standout tracks have got to be 'Unprotected sex with multiple partners' and 'Cliché Guevara'. These two songs display just how good 'Against Me!' are at doing what they do, as they could almost be passed off as studio-recorded tracks.
The only problem I really have with this CD is some of my favourite 'Against Me!' songs are missing. I mean COME ON, where the fuck is 'Walking is Still Honest'? 'I Still Love you Julie' isn't here either, and I would have loved to have heard a live version of 'We did it all for Don'. Anyone of these songs could have replaced 'Turn these clapping hands into angry balled fists', as this has always been one of the weakest 'Against Me!' tracks, yet it still is here.
Overall, despite some key tracks missing from this CD, it's still a damn good record and definitely worth a purchase for any Against Me! fan. I'd even recommend it to people trying to get into the band, as it really is a top quality recording despite it being live. I know that I will definitely be catching Against Me! next time they're in town, as 'Americans Abroad!!' shows just how bloody good a show they put on..
Andrew
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