Alexisonfire, London Camden Underworld
Alexisonfire,
A boat,
Somewhere along the River Thames
24/08/06
Well that was something altogether different.
Somewhere on the North Bank of the Thames at six thirty this evening was a group of 100 or so dedicated Alexisonfire fans waiting to board a boat. Why? Only because they were about to spend the evening drinking, dancing and cavorting with their favourite band in the world!
God knows who came up with the idea to throw Alexisonfire's live debut of 'Crisis' material on a fucking boat, but whoever it was, that person deserves a medal. Tonight was nothing short of fantastic. As the vessel filled up with competition winners from all over the country, it became apparent that were in the company of a group of five Canadian lads who thoroughly enjoyed taking the time to get to know their fans. George, Dallas, Chris, Wade and Jordan spent a good hour chatting with us, posing for photos, signing records, and being generally all round decent blokes. And that was before they had even played a note.
When it came time for an Alexis performance, the top deck of the Miyuki Maru filled up quickly and before soon we were treated to a flawless rendition of 'Accidents'. Before we go any further, I should probably point out that a boat on the River Thames on one of the windiest days of the year is probably not the best place for an Alexisonfire gig. The moshing space was extremely limited and fuck knows what anyone on the river bank must've thought as we cruised past screaming 'LET'S REDEFINE WHAT IT MEANS TO HEAL' at the top of lungs. However, the handful of fans present here tonight made the absolute most of the situation, and the fact that they sung along with every word of new tracks 'Boiled Frogs', 'Keep it on Wax' and 'Mailbox Arson' showed they had all been doing their homework.
It was definitely a set cut too short by London's noise restrictions, yet AOF could have done themselves a favour by playing another old favourite to finish off with, instead of just repeating 'Accidents' again.
However, I feel that the whole evening was what was on show here, and not just the band's short five-song set, and because of this Alexis deserve a huge round of applause. They treated a handful of their most dedicated fans to something very special, and it's only a shame that more bands don't behave in a similar way.
Andrew
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