Future of the Left

Rain. That's how Future of the Left describe themselves live if your star sign is Aquarius or Aries. Anyway, aside from a drunken Twitter exchange, Future of the Left and the crowd were magnificent at the Garage in London. I believe they choose their own venues and this was perfect. Arndales were a solid support act and Dingus Khan elevated maters with a raucous and humorous set, with band members in wedding gowns, as a farmer and in a nappy. The sold out crowd was then treated to a full throttle performance, starting off with some old songs before launching into How To... album opener Bread, Cheese, Bow and Arrow. There were also a couple of Mclusky covers. After going through the first few songs without much comment, Andy Falkous proved himself in fine form with the main gist of his stage banter taking the piss out of how self-absorbed London is. He also asked for a dedication to You Need Satan More Than He Needs You to veer from his usual two suggestions for a source of hatred but all the crowd could muster was 'John', whoever that was. Probably too adrenaline-pumped. There were also a couple of mentions of Metallica, most notably before the last hurrah which was an inspired medley that included Lapsed Catholics and French Lessons. It then transitioned into an awesome jam, with bassist Julia jumping into the crowd with her guitar and carrying on playing even while getting carried away and the lead coming out; the drummer rearranging his kit, handing some of it to the front of the crowd and smashing it from there; Andy playing a squealing riff on his guitar upside down on the rim of the drums. A pretty well-honed Welsh punk act by now, then, and one I need to visit again when they are back on tour.

Hailing from Wales and possessing quite a hardcore sound (very much like Lostprophets in both respects), Future Of The Left are a delight to listen to. Formed in 2005 following the splits of McLusky and Jarcrew, FOTL have been on the circuit for some time now and have a unique sound that doesn't particularly fall into any sub genre of rock. Whilst playing at The Factory in Sydney for a show in early January 2014, the band came onto the stage whilst what appeared to be a 1930's record was playing in the background to the bemusement of some fans. But as soon as front man Andy Falkous started playing the opening and catchy riff for the song Arming Eritrea, the crowd went absolutely wild. The vocals of Andy were certainly on point for the opening song as he roared into the microphone, whilst drummer Jack Egglestone looked like he was having a thoroughly enjoyable time. Songs like Small Bones Small Bodies, which hit number 25 in the UK Indie chart, were also great to listen to. It was refreshing to hear a song from a noise rock-esque that actually had a distinct melody to it, making it very enjoyable to listen to rather than just a big mishmash of raging guitars and clattering drums.
The most enjoyable moment of the night was when the song Bread Cheese Bow And Arrow came on, quite a jokey number but also dramatic due to the number of gaps in the song where there is no music at all. If you happen to find yourself at a FOTL gig, there is guaranteed to be a great atmosphere and melodies galore with a head-banging rhythm. What more could you want, fellow rock fans?