| My Dying Bride | Tivoli-Utrecht | Nov 01, 2003 |
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The first time I saw MDB live it really confused me. I couldn’t decide if the beauty of the songs overwhelmed me with joy or the heavy melancholy made me feel depressed. Tonight is the same. You can sense the high spirit of the crowd, waiting for the band to enter the stage. And suddenly the first fragile guitar tones of “The Dreadful Hours” fill the dark venue. They couldn’t have made a better choice for an opening. Smoke, rays of light and in the crowd the flying hair is whipping everybody’s face. Directly followed by “The Raven And The Rose”, giving us a chance to strain our necks again. Wow! The band is fully dressed in white, which makes the show a bit surreal. Even though you can see the style is quite aristocratic, you can’t help yourself thinking that they are wearing straight jackets. This all enlarged by the schizophrenic attitude of singer Aaron. Both the horror and the beauty. It crosses my mind several times this evening. This British gentleman who sings heartcrushing lyrics with a comforting dark voice. Hands clamped around the microphone, to keep his harmed soul down on his feet. And just when you start feeling compassion for this deeply hurt soul, he suddenly transforms into this psychotic professor who sucks every attention away with his dramatic gestures and even crawling on stage. In a halo of stagelight his charisma underlines what this music is all about, making it a whole. That thin line between love and pain. Man, why didn’t I bring my camera? The answer comes to me when “She Is The Dark” sets in. These brutal riffs just force you to bang your head. And thoroughly, I might add. Who needs drugs to get a buzz like this? Gooze bumps on my back when “The Fever Sea” brings out the better grunts. While guitarists Andrew and Hamish play their hearts out in “Under Your Wings And Into Your Arms” and the first part of “My Hope The Destroyer”, singer Aaron seems to be uninspired. But only until the slower parts set in, in which he can be the master of drama again. The band also plays a couple of songs from their upcoming cd. Again epics in their own way, with just the right mix of subtlety and brutality. A good contestant for the yearlist 2003..... Or will it be 2004? The biggest surprise of tonight is the first and original version of “Sear Me”. You hear the excitement in the venue as Aaron pronounces the song. Oh man, am I lucky to be at this sold out venue tonight! I know I won’t be able to move my neck for the next couple of days, but I can’t help myself. Just like the people surrounding me. And when the band leaves the stage the only thing I can think is: “I wanna see them again!!!”
Photo`s by Ronald den Dekker Wacon Images (Review: Marcia Gransbergen) |
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© Rockezine.com Nov 01, 2003, viewed 766 times since 666
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