‘Rise Against’ Rise to the occasion to bring an electric punk-influenced show to a sold Brixton Academy on the leg of their current European tour. Anticipation was high for my first outing to Brixton since the terrible accident shut the venue for many months. But now in full swing again, the queuing was snaking around the corner with many fans arriving early to catch their favourite Chicago based punk -rock band ‘Rise Against’ perform at this iconic venue once again as they graced the venue with an explosive show where the band already showed off what their were capable of!
Rise Against were initially formed in 1999, and its music emphasises catchy melodies and aggressive hook-laden sounds! The band’s latest members are Tim Mcllrath on Vocals, Joe Principe on backing vocals and bass, Brandon Barnes on drums, and Zach Blair on lead guitar. With Rise having a whirlwind of hits to adorn its fans, the expectation was that the atmosphere would be high at their latest outing.
Most recently, Rise Against toured with powerhouse ‘Papa Roach’ and showed they’re ready to take on arena shows and venues across Europe! Nowhere Generation II is their last EP release, and ‘Nod’ is their latest single, released in January this year! The night certainly promised an explosion of post-hardcore sounds to raise the temperature on a cold winter night with San Francisco’s own ‘Spiritual Cramp’ and newly formed supergroup ‘L.S Dunes’ in tow.
‘Spiritual Cramp’ came out of nowhere to rock the audience hard with some eccentric 90s-inspired alternative punk rock featuring a tambourine-playing mascot, Jose Luna Gonzalez. The band provided an extra sense of chaos, with frontman Michael Bigham flying across the stage with a roaring voice! The band connects personal experiences with political messages in the most noise-ridden way.
It was not too long when L.S. Dunes hit the stage, a band born in the ‘Covid’ era featuring members from ‘My Chemical Romance’, ‘Coheed & Cambia ‘and ‘Circa Survive’. Their debut single, ‘Permanent Rebellion’, has been around for three years now.
Anthony Green danced around the stage like he was on fire, and the band pulled together in a jamming session manner. The short opener set was impressive, balancing tracks from their Debut album and their latest release,’ Violet’!
It was not too long before Rise Against drove deep into fan favourite ‘Satellite’. The crowds were instantly immersed in the band’s passion and whirlwind guitar shredding, with tracks like ‘Architects’, ‘Ready To Fall’, and ‘Behind Closed Doors’. Crowd surfers aplenty soon went flying through Brixton’s large space, only to be stopped in their tracks by the overly cautious security!
‘Rise Against’ showed their dedicated fans there is a ‘force de major’, and Tim Mcllrath delivered a powerful message while creating arithmetic choruses with the so familiar raw edge!
RISE AGAINST: 02 ACADEMY LONDON SETLIST :
- Satellite
- Under the Knife
- Architects
- Ready to Fall
- Behind Closed Doors
- Heaven Knows
- State of the Union
- The Violence
- House on Fire
- People Live Here
- Swing Life Away
- Nod
- Prayer of the Refugee
ENCORE :
- Make It Stop (September’s Children)
- Blood-Red, White & Blue
- Savior
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