Two bands, at different stages of their careers. The Soundwave sideshow is sold out, a sound achievement for a Monday night. Despite the throng of people inside by eight p.m. however, there’s a definite early-week smell in the air; a feeling that had this been a Saturday – hell, even a Wednesday night gig, the atmosphere might be a little bit more alive.
Of course, those who suffer most for this lack of crowd enthusiasm is the opening band, and the sacrificial lambs on offer to the disinterested “fans” tonight are Floridian ska legends Less Than Jake. For their part, the five-piece is as tight as a band reaching their veteran status would expect to be, and their hour-long set provides a string of hits: Dopeman, How’s My Driving, All My Friends Are Metalheads and Plastic Cup Politics. Horns a-blazing, on-stage making out sessions and the like are standard highlights, but the crowd just don’t care. With the exception of the punters in the mosh pit, front men Chris Demakes and Roger Manganelli really struggle to connect with the rest of their audience. It’s a damn shame, and their frustration is obvious, especially in Demakes. Singling out a nonplussed girl texting on the side, and inviting security on stage for a drink (“I hate to see good money go to waste”) it’s painful to see from this band, whose live shows were once a thing of legend.
The main act however, are still building their fan base, although given the raucous response they receive tonight it’s scary to think how big they may yet become. New Found Glory, also from Florida, have been together since 1997, although the group seem fresh and genuinely excited about their current tour. That excitement, however, has nothing compared with the frenzy that the swollen pit has become. Playing tracks from their entire career (including the brilliant Hit Or Miss from their 2000 self-titled record), this is a band at the height of their career, and with a new album in the pipeline, who knows where they could end up. Closing their encore with My Friend’s Over You all hell breaks loose on stage, and all of a sudden it’s Tuesday morning.
