So, having had The Rifles on my radar to see for some time, The Venue at Derby came up with a perfect opportunity. 10 years in, and on their 5th album, the band have consistently come up with songs full of energy and great hooks, and although I confess that their latest offering, Big Life, is somewhat 'softer' than much of their previous material, I was looking forward to the gig. In a small, atmospheric setting, I thought The Venue was a good opportunity to get close and connect with them. Although the set was nice and varied, featuring a range of songs from right across their canon, they let themselves down on 2 counts. The main one was their sound. Was the guy on the mixer just hell bent on getting them LOUD? Considering they use Orange gear, which I know is good quality, the sound throughout the set was woolly and over-forced, spoiling the vocals and not letting the guitar breaks shine.
My other gripe was lack of connection with the audience. Apart from the customary "hello Derby, you all right?" sort of shout, the lead singer didn't introduce one song - no chat, no banter, just bang bang from one to the next. Fine, if you like that, but come on, a band that's been around for 10 years should have more skills in audience chat than that.
But hey, don't let me put you off going to see The Rifles. They still have a great range of top tunes from those 5 albums, and perhaps if by a chance their sound guy gets to read this, then when I see them again on 5th November at Leamington Spa, I might have had an effect and get a nice surprise!
Weezer
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