Blood Brothers - Exeter Cavern - 1/7/07
4/5
By: Dan Monsell
Tonight is a monumental moment for many of the gig going community - and this is not just because Seattle's Blood Brothers have travelled far across this fair globe to play to a sold out Exeter Cavern. It's because for most, it's the first time in their lives they've experienced a smoke-free venue in their hometown; this being the Monday after the ban that saw us spending the previous day recovering in a coughing mess, what with Saturday's smoke-o-thon display on the last day of puffing in a pub. Tonight we can literally smell what the person standing next to us had for dinner on their breath, and we can bear testament to the fact that without smoke, toilet venues actually just smell of toilet, and lots and lots of sweat.
The other day on the telly, Kayne West declared that he was "here to rip the stage in half!" at the concert for Diana. He may indeed have some pretty heavy tracks up his sleeve, but it's a claim he might have hesitated to make had he witnessed the Blood Brothers tonight. It took until the fourth track for the band to hit pace, but once they had gathered momentum there was no looking back. The faithful following at the front took their cue and erupted to such a fine display of artsy party punk. Now this was more a stage that could collapse at any minute.
It's no secret that these Blood Brothers have offended a great deal of people over the course of their existence. One half of the duel vocal team, Jordan Billie, tells us that the band supported Metallica a couple of days ago. Unsurprisingly it didn't go down too well; 'You ever heard 10,000 people boo at the same time?' he says with a smile. It's not hard to see how other vocalist Johnny Whitney's camped up display, coupled with his falsetto scream - could cause offence to the traditionalists. At times he comes across more Tina Turner, diva of screamo. His happiness to indulge in that type of performance-rock display moves the whole thing closer to My Chemical Romance styled up punk, rather than the conventional macho hardcore display that we're more used to.
However, this hack's voice is not another one happy to add to the mountain of writing that's already clogged up columns complaining of such issues. The excitement and loyalty displayed by the legion of fans literally crawling up the walls at the back speaks for itself. Not teen punkers either, adults, basically. Tonight is one of those fun shows where it's pretty hard not to have a good time. Indeed, any slight reservations you might have about the band can get quite easily pushed aside as you get lost in a roomful of fans, wearing their adoration firmly upon their sleeves.
Artists in this article: Blood Brothers
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