http://chords-of-fame.com/getupkidspress/index.php?itemid=1

Head to the following link to download it:
http://rcrdlbl.com/2011/01/05/premiere_the_get_up_kids_shatter_your_lungs

I’m not sure this gig needs much of an introduction but it’s getting one. The Get Up Kids are over for Leeds Festival and wanted to fill some spare time and through their ‘connections’ have given Bolton something to really shout about. Ok there are other reasons but I’m not going to get into that here. The venue is an intimate one and this has thus got a bit of attention on the PT forums, among other places.

I missed a decent bit of the opening band and as I didn’t catch their name and it’s clear they’ve not released anything yet they’ll be omitted from this review. On to Wot Gorilla then. I’m not sure how to describe this band and I’m also not sure I like it, I’m pretty sure I don’t. They describe themselves as Math Rock. I personally think there’s a tiny bit of hardcore in there amongst some Indie, Ska and goodness knows what else. It’s different but not necessarily in a good way, it feels confused. Considering all the good british music going around currently i’m sceptical on their chances of moving up the musical ladder but i’m sure Leeds Festival will give them the opportunity this weekend. 2/5

It’s not an exaggeration to say the crowd are excited for what’s about to follow and as was said by the opening band’s lead singer ?this is possibly the greatest thing that’s ever happened in Bolton?. It’s naturally a very warm reception as ?Coming Clean? gets everybody going. The 200 strong crowd are treated to a mixture of mainly FMM and STWHA which lets be honest, is what everyone wants. These 2 albums having become incredibly influential on so many people and bands. ?Red Letter Day? from this collection was a real highlight. The opening 2 tracks of Guilt Show are also thrown in as well as ?Woodson? as hit after hit is delivered. The crowd gladly singing along with Pryor, in some cases as if their lives depend on it.

Pryor is brilliant on vocals throughout and is excellently backed up by the genius of Dewees on keys. They’re all on brilliant form to be fair though and seem to be enjoying it and each other so much. A stark contrast from their issues pre hiatus. Pryor and Jim engage with the crowd for the odd joke to and despite only landing in the country this morning the energy is excellent. New songs ?You Petty Pretty Things? and ?Keith Case? are also both very enjoyable. I unfortunately have to leave just before the end of the normal set (I assume encores were to follow as well) but not before the outstanding Don’t Hate Me and 10 Minutes take things up about 5 notches. I’ve had the privilege of seeing this band a few times over the years and it just feels they just get better and better. This is a night i’ll likely remember into my old age and is a contender for gig of the year.

Jamie

I walked in to The Cockpit as THE XCERTS started playing. Andy has raved on about these boys for a while now and I’ve only ever heard them in passing, but after this performance I can see why he likes them so much. They don’t look much on stage, appearing quite awkward and aware barely anyone in the crowd is there to see them play. But I think they won a fair few people over. Frontman Murray Macleod looks a total bag of nerves between songs as his plaid shirt seemingly dwarfs him, but when he opens his mouth and he gets in the groove the band really impress. If I had one complaint it would be that the bass was too high in the mix and drowned out the guitars a little bit, but overall I was impressed. I’ll be checking them out further for sure. (7)

With such an extensive back catalogue to refer to THE GET UP KIDS are always going to have people say ‘play such and such’ and leave one or two disappointed. I’ve seen the band a few times now and the set lists haven’t really strayed from the classics, which, in truth, is exactly what you want when you see them. The crowd is noticeably older than at most shows and there are a great many beards in attendance – you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d walked into some kind of face hair convention. Everywhere you turn there’s fuzz and some pretty impressive beards at that. It sums up the fact that while the band went away they don’t seem to have grabbed too many new fans – the venue, I’m told, is about 75% full, so the older fans have certainly managed to stick with the band throughout the hiatus.

I’d read other reviews that the band were sloppy, looked miserable and argued but there’s nothing of the sort on show in Leeds. Matt and Jim bounce off each other, there’s a few jokes aimed at band members (and the crowd). They once again look genuinely pleased to be on stage. The hits rain down all night – ‘Holiday’, ‘Don’t Hate Me’, ‘No Love’, ‘Red Letter Day’…they’re all present and correct. A couple of songs from ‘Simple Science’ get an airing (and go over the heads of most people) and there’s a completely new song, sung by Jim, too. There’s a good mix of songs, mainly from ‘STWHA’ but a splattering from ‘Four Minute Mile’ too. ‘Overdue’, ‘Walking on a Wire’ and ‘Campire Kansas’ go down well too, while ‘Beer For Breakfast’ and ‘Close To Me’ make up the encore.

The band will be back in August for festivals and two warm-up shows, a new album follows in the Spring. The kids are most certainly still alright…(9)

Sorry about the brief defocus moments in there!

Spycatcher feature members of Gallows, Haunts and Cry For Silence – except Stu Gallows is on tour with his day job so the band have a stand-in. They play a brand of throaty, driving rock with doesn’t really sound like any of their other bands. The thing is, literally no-one in the crowd gives a shit and the band play half a dozen songs to little more than polite applause. It’s not that Spycatcher are particularly bad (they’re not) but with so much expectation for the headline act, no-one’s really bothered about the warm up. Still, Spycatcher are decent on record and if the band playing after them weren’t so revered by so many, they’d maybe have got a better reaction.

When THE GET UP KIDS launched into ‘Holiday’ you’d expect the Academy to go off. But strangely the crowd were much more conservative (small ‘c’) than at the Peel. The Get Up Kids weren’t as good as the night previous, but they were still amazing. With such a fantastic back catalogue it’s easy for them to rotate the setlist and the likes of ‘Holy Roman’ and ‘Ann Arbour’ get an airing. But it’s the classics that get the best reaction. ‘Don’t Hate Me’, ‘Mass Pike’ and ‘Action and Action‘ go down so well, while even the slower songs like ‘Valentine’ inspire huge singalongs.

What impressed me most over the two gigs was the band’s enthusiasm for the whole thing. They beamed throughout, buzzing off one another. Jim and Matt in particular seemed to thrive off each other. ‘Beer For Breakfast’ seems to have been added to the setlist simply for the band’s own enjoyment judging by the smiles on their faces as they sing it. Interesting moment of the night was when the band launched, unannounced, into a brand new song that was very bass-heavy and dark but a bit quicker than anything on the last two albums. A cross between ‘On A Wire’ and ‘Four Minute Mile’, possibly. With confirmation the band are now writing new songs it will be interesting to see where they go from here.

Ultimately The Get Up Kids are a seminal band. They’ve inspired thousands and will continue to do so. As long as they play with a smile on their faces I think we’ll get a new album and further tours. And if they’re as good as this, that’s something we can all welcome.

Dave House was lone support and I missed a couple of early songs as I was intrviewing TGUK. Davw’s a great songwriter a d one who comes across as sincere and passionate on record. With his live show he manages to recreate both, adding energy to make his set hugely entertaining. His vocals remind me of The Weakerthans no end, but ulimately Dave is his own man and very few can match his storytelling style. By the last few tracks there are some pretty major singalongs – playing in front of family and friends he never needed to win anyone over, but the sweaty 300 in the Peel left with a smile on their faces nonetheless.ÿ

From the second the Kansas fivesome started ‘Coming Clean’ the Peel fell in love. This is no money grabbing reunion tour – The Kids love it. They play with a smile and with energy, cracking a few jokes inbetween songs. James Dewees loves it -he plays with such an infectious grin that even those in attendance who weren’t fans of the band would have been won over. Th setlist was pretty flawless. ‘Mass Pike’, ‘Action and Action‘ and ‘Valentine’ get huge singalongs. During ‘Holiday’ the crowd sing louder than the band. It’s special stuff – one of those ‘you had to be there’ moments.ÿ

They hope to return next year and there may even be a new album. Maybe. The Kids are back – and on the basis of this performance they’ll be teaching a few of their younger peers a thing or two.

Paul: Are there any bad feelings about the split or is it a mutual thing?
Ryan: No, We are all cool. It seems like a good time to move on.

Paul: I know you’ve not actually gone yet, but our readers wanted me to ask this…is there any chance of a re-union at any point down the line, or is this really it?
Ryan: No. It feels right to just stop now.

Paul: Why did you decide to bow out with a live album?
Ryan: It seemed like the best move. We always wanted to put a live record out but never felt it was the right time. It was a good way to say goodbye to our fans.

Paul: At the end of the bands’ ten years, with hindsight and the odd change in sound here and there, which is the album you are/will be most proud/fond of?
Ryan: ‘Guilt Show’.

Paul: What’s your favorite story surrounding any of the songs the band have written songs?
Ryan: ‘No Love’. It was a story about an ex-girlfriend of mine. It makes me think back to being young and somewhat innocent when I think about it.

Paul: You did many cover songs – which was your favourite?
Ryan: “Close to Me” – The Cure.

Paul: If you could take just one song from the band, and all others had to be erased forever, which would it be?
Ryan: ‘On a Wire’.

Paul: If you could recommend any one TGUK album to a new listener, what would you say was a fair starting point?
Ryan: ‘Guilt Show’.

Paul: Did it ever cross your minds to write a ‘Something To Write Home About’ version 2?
Ryan: No .

Paul: Are you going to have continued involvement with projects like Blue Collar Distro, Black Lodge Recordings and Vagrant / Heroes and Villains Records, or start any others?
Ryan: Yes, very much so!!! I am managing The Black Lodge.

Paul: When is Matt Pryor‘s children’s record going to come out?
Ryan: I don’t Know.

Paul: Why no UK show to say goodbye to the faithful over here?
Ryan: Matt didn’t want to leave the country. I don’t think he ever will!!! Fact.

Paul: Submitted question: “What happened to the mystical James Dewees birthday piefight footage and will it turn up on the DVD? What other treats can we expect on the DVD?”
Ryan: You will see it.

Paul: James has obviously gone on to Reggie… and as a new member of New Found Glory, do any other TGUK members intend to form brand new bands?
Ryan: Rob and I are currently flying to Berlin to tour with Koufax. We just finished a record. Jim started a band called The Black Pool Lights.

Paul: Looking back, do you have any regrets? If yes, what would they be and what would you change or do again?
Ryan: No, It’s been a wonderful ride. Being able to meet and spend time with so many different people has been such a huge part of my life.

Paul: If you have any messages to your UK fans, please leave them here:
Ryan: We will miss you more than you will miss us. Thanks for treating us so well.

www.thegetupkids.com

Providing the pre-kids entertainment were Koufax, recently signed to Vagrant, with new CD to boot – though I confess I am completely unacquainted with their material, save for the song ‘Never gonna happen’ song on the Vagrant sampler, they did impress me and the surrounding folk, and I think they do warrant a closer look; I became increasingly aware that they played their instruments almost flawlessly, and got a positive reaction from the crowd.

Waiting for the Kids to come on stage was a melancholy affair (blue lighting setting the scene perhaps?), and strangely, a dimming of the lights was accompanied by bizarre hip-hop beat of which the likes none of us really expected; unfazed though they predictably yet satisfying blazed into ‘Holiday’, which is by now due to the success of the previous album, guaranteed adrenaline material. Though it felt as though the sonics slightly meshed together, the overall effect still had impact with the crowd, somewhat docile after the intermission, urged into spontaneous action.

A dedication to Koufax, ‘I’m a loner dottie, a rebel’ was delivered with a power and passion equal to that of ‘Ten Minutes‘, both powerhouse indie pop songs that seem to quench the thirst the crowd possesses for something to release built up energy with; they are interspersed between the more downbeat material from the recent release, maintaining a kind of up-down cycle the Kids display in a number of songs, though this time on a macro, gig style level.

For reasons I explained earlier, I wasn’t entirely sure that the new material would prove enjoyable to listen to in a live environemnt – unfortunately, my gut instinct was wrong, and ‘Campfire Kansas’, ‘Overdue’ and ‘Fall from Grace’ were performed with a dignified talent; of course, such a crowd reaction as raucous as that of Action and Action or ‘I’m a loner dottie, a rebel’ could not be expected, yet appreciation was the order of the day here, not instant satisfaction; and to this extent the concert was far more enjoyable than a few no form, no content punk bands to have graced the Academy stage in recent years.

A plethora of guitars stood amidst the stage, which the band constantly switched between, to remain accurate to the recording material – and this they did, with ‘Overdue’ sounding eerily similar to the recorded version; a particular highlight was ‘Anne Arbour’, a song already steeped in emotion through the use of layering, and it was performed superbly, and obviously held massive significance with the performers – and left the audience and myself, supremely satisfied. ‘Walking On a Wire’ was played out in extended fashion, almost cutting itself off from the audience in order to create a small world upon stage of musical saturation, yet captivating onlookers just the same.

After an encore treated as protocol, ‘Action and Action‘ was no sooner declared as it was underway, and the raw intensity of ‘Something to Write Home About’ was in full effect – the one thing many people traded around ¶œ11 of their money for – and they were not disappointed. Ending with the melancholy, yet what can only be described beautiful ‘Hannah Hold On’ brought the concert, as with many ventures by the band, to a nostalgic, peaceful, and delicate resolve – perhaps nostalgia may have a hope yet.

Nick