Its Friday night in Barnsley and what better way to spend it than in an ex working men’s club with a bunch of lads from Bradford and about 450 of their closest ‘friends’. That’s right, Terrorvision at the Birdwell Venue and I could not wait, and judging by the queue outside, decorated with varying styles and ages of Terrorvision shirts, neither could the amassed crowds filtering through the venues doors.
Local band, Shanghai Treason, other wise known as the Yorkshire Flat Cap Banjo Punks, put on a respectable forty-minute set, even considering they were added to the bill at the eleventh hour. Their brand of rocky Celtic folk got the crowd bobbing, pockets of bodies dotted about the floor were really getting into the music which was being energetically thrown from the stage. The band interacted with the crowd periodically throughout their set and there were even dedicated followers enthusiastically singing every lyric back at the confined stage. The short-lived set must have made an impression on some in the Birdwell Venue as shortly after the set had finished bodies could be seen moving around the venue in crisp fresh, just bought from the merch stand, ‘Shanghai’ shirts, a testament to the accomplished set these local lads had just expelled.
As the stage was turned round in quick time, the lights dimmed, the video backdrop adorned a brightly coloured logo and ‘Terrorvision from Bradford’ burst onto the stage and the whole place erupted. Regular Urban Survivor, ‘Enteralterego’, hit us like a freight train with each word being sang from the crowd with passion and hunger. The set then continued with classic after classic, fan favourite after fan favourite and even some newbies thrown in for good measure.
The band were on form from the opening minute to the closing chords of ‘Perseverance’ and every sweat-soaked moment in between. The crowd pogoed and sang in unison, ten-foot-wide smiles were plastered on every single face inside the Birdwell Venue tonight and the energy being rocked from the stage was mesmerising and impressive in equal measures. Mark and Leigh criss crossed the stage with ease while Tony was reminiscent of a kangaroo on steroids, the effort put in by all three frontmen was remarkable and the shift put in by Greenwood on the skins was genuinely astronomical.
The biggest cheers of the night were arguably saved for ‘American TV’ and ‘Oblivion’ although saying that, no song was left without a roar a pride of African lions would be proud of. The set was packed with absolutely everything bar the kitchen sink. We were introduced to everyones friend ‘Josephine’, we asked ‘Alice, what’s the matter?’, we were reminded that there was a party over here (you fill the rest in), and we even had a look around ‘My House’. As always though, and quintessentially, we were asked as to what we would do if all the people in the world camped out in our back garden!! Outstanding, absolutely outstanding and no other words for it !!
As the set progressed Tony and Leigh could be seen to be losing half their body weight in sweat, the differing styles of white t-shirt were becoming more and more drenched in the fruits of their labour yet, and I have no idea how he does it, Mark stood on the wing, cool as you like, seemingly not a bead of sweat anywhere in sight. He really is the epitome of coolness and that is what makes him so truly endearing.
As the set drew to a close the band posed for the infamous stage shot, the doors opened, and the crowd dispersed into a cool night. One hell of a success had been had in Barnsley tonight, and one I personally hope to get the chance to relive again very soon. Come Home Beanie and make it very very soon.
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