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IGNITE @ the Camden Underworld |
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The Camden Underworld was swarming with rowdy 20-somethings gearing up for what promised to be a fiery show from American hardcore band Ignite. Through the darkness I could see the crowds heaving toward the stage with each person trying to inch just a little bit closer to their Californian heroes.
As a musical phenomenon Ignite certainly did not disappoint. The band was exuberant and strong, feeding off the fervour of the adoring fans. Even through the silhouetted legs and arms of crowd surfers they managed to project vigour and magnetism. Vocalist Zoli Teglas launched into the set and broke records for melodic hardcore music. Editor at Large of Metal Hammer James Gill, who was enjoying the set to say the least, said: “Teglas is to melodic hardcore what Bruce Dickinson was for heavy metal.” He was only too right. Guitarists Nik Hill and Brian Balchack were outrageous performers, proving that metal music takes both audacity and talent, and that they have ample amounts of both. The rhythm section, with Brett Rasmussen on bass and Craig Anderson on drums, not only showed themselves to be the backbone of the band, but they intrepidly charged through the set with an additional kick of comical stage antics, frequently pleasing the admirers below. Just as I thought that they couldn’t do anything else to impress me, they paid tribute to the likes of Johnny Cash and U2 and roared through a colossal cover of Sunday Bloody Sunday. Although Ignite put on a powerful and thunderous performance, the energy was on occasion sacrificed for the sake of Zoli’s political musings. At one point, an environmental representative got up on stage in the middle of the set to speak to the crowd about how to change the world. Whereas I find the idea of a rock band trying to save the world quaint, and perhaps even admirable, unless you’re Bono it just doesn’t work. The over-zealous fans clapped and cheered to show their support, without even knowing what they were clapping and cheering for. It was a nice idea, but regrettably it caused the sky-high energy to take a bit of a nose-dive. The band later took an enormous risk by playing one of their biggest songs, Slow Down, acoustically. Admittedly, they carried off the song well and there wasn’t even a slight resemblance to James Blunt or John Mayer, much to my relief. Even so, the original version could have served as a welcome pick-me-up after the brief break for politics-R-us. Despite the adverse drain in energy triggered by Ignite’s random political sermon, they managed to finish the night with a forceful blow, leaving everyone in the room lusting for more relentlessly fierce tunes.
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| Overall rating |
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8.8 |
| Performance |
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8.0 |
| Sound |
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9.0 |
| Crowd Response |
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10.0 |
| Overall |
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8.0 |
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