Review – Boysetsfire – Manchester Moho Live – Tuesday 28th June 2011

Returning to the scene after a five year hiatus, Boysetsfire hit the stage tonight like men possessed, eager to prove why everyone in attendance had missed them so much throughout their hiatus. I only ever saw them briefly at Leeds Festival in 2006 by accident, and was blown away by their performance. Needless to say I was keen to see a full set from them tonight, to see if they could still deliver the goods.

Before they hit the stage though, and having missed the first band, I caught Failsafe put on a stirring performance, sounding great with their pop rock anthems. Lead singer James Norris worked the crowd well, while his band put in a solid shift behind him. The dual vocals were at times stunning. The lack of a barrier meant that the singer was happy to get down into the crowd and work the floor when needed, easily converting what had started as a fairly apathetic crowd, into a fully warmed up bunch, ready for the main spectacle. Actions For Answers was a real highlight of their short time on stage.

Boysetsfire though, were completely on another level.

Struggling with their first two tracks due to some dodgy sound, particularly from the microphone, they recover with ease, and hit hard throughout the rest of their 90 minute set. The lack of a barrier made this a real event, with everyone rocking out hard at the front, trying not to end up on the floor of the stage. Of course, at times, the crowd does end up on the stage, as does the band in the crowd, and the intimacy is what makes tonight’s show into something very special indeed.

There were stage divers, crowd surfers, and pretty much everything else in between in the intimate Moho Live venue, even some unsavoury “dick-grabbing” from some dude in the front row, onto the unsuspecting lead singer Nathan Gray.

There are anthems galore though over the course of their set, with the likes of the epic and anthemic Walk Astray (with the tape intro sung loudly back at the band by the assembled throng of die hard fans), and Empire getting aired early. There are heavy moments, there are emotive moments, and there are visceral anthemic moments, and quite frankly, the band sound nothing short of perfect tonight.

They look genuinely pleased to be back, and the fans could not be happier to have them back. Their rousing post-hardcore sound does not sound dated one bit, and there return fits well into the present day take on the genre. In short, it is damn good to have them back.

Other highlights through a hit packed set are Requiem, and the closing one-two of the awesome After The Eulogy and Rookie. Returning for a two song encore with Falling Out Theme and the melodic Handful Of Redemption, as the crowd depart, nobody is disappointed with the band’s passionate performance, and the stunning return of boysetsfire.

Next stop – Reading and Leeds festivals.

Bring it on.

Setlist - Release the Dogs / Eviction Article / Cavity / Walk Astray / In Hope / Empire / Pure / Twelve Step Hammer Program / Voice Over / White Wedding Dress / With Cold Eyes / Pariah Under Glasses / Fashion As A Weapon / 10 And Counting / Requiem / The Misery Index / Final Communiqué / The Force Majeure / My Life In The Knife Trade / After The Eulogy / Rookie / Falling Out Theme / Handful of Redemption