It's been seven long years, three full-length albums, three EPs, and a whole lotta instruments destroyed since the band known by the Trail of Dead graced our shores for the 2002 Livid Festival. Playing particularly feverishly as if to make up for time lost, the Texan six-piece mostly covered material off their new album, The Century of Self, but also delved into moments off their classic and most highly revered album, Source Tags & Codes, highlights of which included 'Another Morning Stoner' and the ambitious 'It Was There That I Saw You'.
Dancing around the edges of genres coined out of necessity by those who don't do music but write/talk about it - genres such as indie art-rock and pop-punk-emo-hardcore - a ...Trail of Dead concert attracts legions of adoring fans while eschewing a "scene"-related affair that typically involves a lot more posing than music enjoying. The best bands are the ones whose music can't be categorised, and ...Trail of Dead exemplify this sentiment as if following a code.
Cementing his status as multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire, Jason Reece switched between guitar, vocals and drums, while also dabbling in a bit of crowd-surfing. During 'Caterwaul' he came down into the pit and was mobbed by a sea of sweaty hands reaching out to stroke his face, neck and hair, leaving jubilant expressions on the owners of said hands.
Reece's partner in crime, the little dynamo that is Conrad Keely, appeared to be struggling with his vocals during the first half of the set, and I found myself waiting for his voice to crack painfully. Being the trooper that he is, he powered on through epic songs such as 'Isis Unveiled', the uproariously greeted 'Will You Smile Again?' and 'Bells of Creation' (during which he took over on the keyboard), all the while vigorously shaking his head to oblivion.
There aren't too many bands that pull off the double-drummer feat successfully - usually it has the effect of being louder without adding thing else of interest - but ...Trail of Dead employ the technique to their advantage, adding textured nuances to a sound that oscillates between violent bursts of noise and delicate ruminations.
...Trail of Dead specialise in brazen cacophony and unpredictability. Tonight they kept their characteristic stage destruction levels to a minimum, but after seven years there's no doubt they delivered what everyone had been waiting and pining for.
Aimee-Lee Curran
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