The Blackout, LostAlone and Rat Attack
53 Degrees, Preston
January 24th, 2014
First concert of the year and as we did
last year we have started the party with The Blackout!
When I eventually found one of my Christmas
presents from my little sister hidden in the tree on Christmas Day I couldn't
have been more excited to open it to find tickets to see the Blackout and
LostAlone. I have been following both of
the bands since they toured with My Chemical Romance way back in February 2011,
which was the day that I discovered both bands.
Next up were Derby trio LostAlone, who
comprise of Steven Battelle, Alan Williamson and Mark Gibson. From
the opening riffs of The Bells, The Bells
to the closing cords of 'Love Will Eat You Alive', the boys gave nothing short
of 100%.
Their set included 'Hostages'
and 'Crusade' which are new songs from their upcoming album, which will be
released in April and old favourites such as 'Vesuvius' and 'Do You Get What You Pray For?' from their previous album
'I'm A UFO in the City'.
It's no wonder these guys have made such a
good name for themselves, with catchy lyrics and face melting guitar riffs they
have the crowd in the palm of their hands throughout the whole set. I will definitely be seeing LostAlone again
the next time they are in town.
Tonight's headliners are The Blackout, six
men from Merthyr Tydfil, comprising of Sean Smith and Gavin Butler on vocals,
James 'Bob' Davies, Matthew Davies, Rhys Lewis and Gareth 'Snoz' Lawrence.
Kicking off with 'I'm A Riot You're A
F****** Riot', Sean Smith jumped over the barrier and straight into the middle
of the pit before throwing his microphone over the lighting bar so that he
could join in the chaos and sing hands free.
The Blackout played a sixteen song set
which covered songs from all four of their albums. Some of the songs included were 'This Is Why
We Can't Have Nice Things', 'Higher And Higher', 'Running Scared', 'Children Of
The Night', 'Ambition Is Critical' and 'Spread Legs Not Lies'.
Anyone who has seen the Blackout before
will be aware of the protocol during 'Save Our Selves (The Warning)' as ALL members of the crowd are expected to
join in, unless they can supply a note from their mother. Last night someone actually surprised them by
producing a note from their mother explaining why they should be allowed to sit
out. Everyone else however was expected to
crouch down on the floor and await Sean's cue at which point the whole pit
jumped up in unison and the pit chaos continued.
Team Sean and Gavin's banter with fantastic music and you have a real
recipe for success.
Ending with 'Start The Party',( which I had
expected them to start with but then again this is The Blackout), they left the
stage to cheers and loud applause from the crowd.
I have seen the Blackout play in packed
venues such as the MEN Arena and The O2 Academy in Liverpool but seeing them
play to a smaller crowd in the club room of the 53 Degrees reminded me why, no matter what size crowd they play to, they
don't just 'Start The Party', they are
the party and they really are 'The Best In Town'!
