GIG: The Last Carnival
DATE: Saturday 14th September 2013
VENUE: Concorde 2, Madeira Drive,
Brighton
COST: £10
OUR VERDICT: Fresh, Energetic, Exciting
It was a night out at the Concorde2 in Brighton for us as we wanted to
be at the launch party for their first album, “The Call of ‘56”, and first gig of
a headlining tour for the fantastic The Last Carnival.
A stand out band from the London IPO last year, it’s really quite
astonishing how much they’ve progressed since The Bull and Gate. We did see them
in a pub in Littlehampton last year too, where they did an acoustic set before they
rocked out.
But for tonight’s gig it was a full on, in your face stadium rock show
opening. A stunning light show that would have had any epileptics in the
audience on red alert, signalled the band’s intent that they really meant
business.
 |
| Russell wows the crowd |
We had a couple of their previous EPs, that included the wonderful
Cadillac, but even they couldn’t prepare us for just how good the songs are on
this debut album.
The title track, “The Call Of ‘56” just begs for a
Glastonbury sized audience to sing along with.
Singer and songwriter Russell has an energy and passion in everything
he sings. He’s a great guitarist himself, but his on stage duels with lead
guitarist Justin are a joy to watch. Justin has perfected his rock God poses
perfectly. The band don’t just SOUND great, they LOOK great too. This is borne
out by the hordes of screaming girls at the barrier in front of the stage.
 |
| Guitar Duels |
 |
| Kieran seemed to love every minute of the gig |
The very well-spoken Kieran on keyboards, we’ve noticed before, smiles
his way through every gig. He just seems to love everything that’s going on in
front of him.
So many of the songs have great big choruses, and there are
filled out brilliantly by Kieran and bass player Michael. Michael, an Andy
Murray look-a-like.......only with smiles, has such a great voice too. He really
adds a great deal to the vocal blend.
 |
| Michael, adds some great backing vocals |
Apart from the all-out rockers, the band can stray into classic REO
Speed-foreigner type Power Ballads too. The Neil Schon like screaming guitars
make this no bad thing though. It certainly adds extra colours to the set.
“Top Of The Hill” must be the definitive blueprint for anyone wanting
to write a crowd pleaser. The whole place joined in with this call and the response
was diamond.
This was such a good gig, and although it’s astonishing how far they’ve
grown in the space of a year, it really shouldn’t be a surprise.
They’ve got a
great fan base, and not only that, Russell had a well thought out vision and
plan for this band when we spoke to him at the last gig. It’s all falling into
place for them right now.
 |
| Justin rocks |
When you see bands like The Killers and Kings Of Leon making in into
stadiums, then you realise with songs like the ones The Last Carnival have, all
that’s needed now is that little bit of luck. But for the time being they are
certainly making their own luck right now. It’s only a matter of time before
they make the big time.
See our other reviews:
Littlehampton, Aug 2012
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