The Used, Manchester University
A cold and damp Friday night in Manchester is hardly something to get genuinely excited about, but for my first real gig of the year (the bash doesn’t count seeing as though I put it on) you can’t get much more energetic than The Used – a band that has become a household name in the last 12 months for varying reasons. Whether it’s Bert’s dalliance with Kelly Osbourne or the frontman’s much publicised heartbreak over the death of his girlfriend (who was carrying his unborn child), it’s been difficult to escape the Utah quartet. If ‘In Love and Death’ is poppier than its predecessor, this current UK tour will give the detractors the chance to eat their words if the band’s infamous live show is as aggressive as usual.
With Daryl Palumbo struck down with Crohn’s again, YOURCODENAMEIS:MILO have stepped into Head Automatica’s shoes at the last minute and they’re a very poor substitute. YCNIM seem to play for an eternity – while their three-guitar pronged attack is heavy and loud, the lack of melodies and dynamics leads to repetitive dulling thud after repetitive dulling thud. I’m not sure why they’re so highly rated (and signed to Polydor) when there are, in my opinion, hundreds of better bands. My prediction for 2005 is that Milo release an album to critical acclaim and no-one buys it – and they get dropped. Sorry boys, you’re boring live and horribly overrated. (4)
The vast majority of the 1,500+ throng here are in attendance for Bert McCracken and co and, bearing in mind there are a LOT of girls at the venue, the shrieks and shrills for the singer when the band appear on stage is reminiscent of one of those Smash Hits Poll Winners Party gigs they show on Channel 4 at Christmas. For all the bravado and US stadium rock sheen, THE USED is fucking entertaining. Bert has the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand and for a band with just one guitar, they are loud and heavy. ‘Take It Away’ sees a massive singalong, far more than I expected anyway, and the vast majority of the songs from the band’s new album are met with hundreds of fans screaming back every word. The set features a fair mix of old and new, highlights including ‘All That I’ve Got’ and a ferocious ‘I’m A Fake’, which even has kids repeating the spoken word part mantra like. Spooky. ‘Blue and Yellow’, ‘A Box Full Of Sharp Objects’ and a chaotic encore of ‘Maybe Memories’ are all present and correct too – I don’t think anything was missed as the band played non-stop for over an hour. While The Used are steeped in all that US stadium rock bravado (and how they’ll remember this gig for their rest of their lives, yadda yadda), you can’t help but feel that for all of Bert’s heartache this year, the emotion he conveys on stage is real enough to believe in – for an hour at least… (8)
Paul
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