On their final date of The Amanuensis Experience Tour 2015 we were able to catch Irish new comers Murdock, No Consequence and of course the fantastic Monuments.
[date]27th May 2015[date]
[venue]The Borderline[/venue]
[city]London, UK[/city]
[support_bands]Murdock No Consequence[/support_bands]
Kicking the evening off tonight we saw the appearance of new comers Murdock, a trio of Irish lads that most definitely had a lot of fight in them, even if the audience didn’t. Acting as a kind of Melvin’s style brand of metal the band performed well with guitarist Aidan Cunningham even jumping into the crowd near the end of the set. Though they seem to be talented, personally I think that the crowd just weren’t the kind of people that would have engaged with the band. That doesn’t mean that the band didn’t give it all their all however, with drummer Ronan Noland acting like a powerhouse commanding the kit. Though from the looks of the end of the set they may have turned a few heads.
Up next we had somewhat of a rebirth for the band, some may not be as familiar as they would like to be with the band. Releasing their brand new album next Monday, No Consequence are very much back in the driving seat. With tracks like the new jam “Our Time Has Come” getting an uproarious reaction from our crowd tonight along with new cut “Speechless”. The band are the perfect warm up act for our leaders tonight, it’s also good to see that the band are back on it after a little stint. Though they may have a small set their performance tonight is on point, packed full of energy and managing well for a big band on such a small stage! Literally and figuratively, not to mention their light show is one to create envy. Excellent support and a band that will be watched by many more to come.
There’s nothing quite like a home town show . As the saying goes, with The Borderline having significantly filled up awaiting the arrival of Monuments. The lights dim as the slow serenade of “Samsara”, the guitar tones chime in lighting up the faces of our revellers. The moving shades appear and beneath them stands an incredibly joyful Chris Barretto. Though there seems to be a problem with John Browne’s guitar, being particularly temperamental in a rendition of The Amanuensis opener “I, The Creator” with the sporadic inclusion of Browne’s guitar leading it to pack that much needed punch. The hiccup is soon forgotten when the band glide into “Horcrux” and have the entire room moving their heads in that pigeon like motion. Among others this song in particular highlights the true talent that our man Barretto retains as a singer, able to convey the serene melodies of that uplifting chorus, contrasted with harsh bellow working in perfect harmony to deliver a truly crushing blow.
That’s just for starters, known to not be used as a gimmick Barretto breaks out the Saxophone on this occasion to accompany the arrival of “The Garden Sankhara” with an improvised Saxophone solo making you think, truly how much cooler can this guy get? After realising one fan is a Britain’s Got Talent aficionado with a small heckle, we’re dedicated the crushing “Quasimodo” to anyone who doesn’t know Monuments. For those who have seen the band before this moment was one that we were all too familiar with, asking the fans to “take a knee” the time had come to “Regenerate”. Following a similar “Spit It Out” routine, once again our charismatic front man commands his legions to jump in unison that would have the works over in Tottenham Court Road’s foundations wobble. Though it isn’t all about Barretto, the band themselves are just on fire tonight. With Browne’s off beat strokes working in perfect harmony with Olly Steele, drummer Mike Malyan and bassist Swanny coalesce to form some of the tightest rhythm work in a long while. Pausing briefly to announce that the band are essentially burnt out from touring and give some reasons as to why they will indeed be taking a break. Stating the unfortunate news that Barretto has vocal nodes, which we all know can spell the end for a band, adding to the trouble with Malyan having some form of RSI meaning that the band deservedly need to take the time off.
This is where the band saved the best for last, powering through an absolutely ferocious “I, The Destroyer” the band perform grand finale “Degenerate”, causing one of the biggest stage invasions that The Borderline has witnessed in such a long while. Limbs flying, crowd’s surfing and most importantly band’s smiling this is just another example of how devastatingly efficient Monuments are as a live band. What many bands sacrifice when aiming to appease the technical aspects of music Monuments ensure that the the gig experience is felt by everyone, focusing on their instruments and delivering a tight set, yet the bands spirit is omnipresent tonight, instead of feeding off the crowd assimilates to make The Borderline to become one. As they finish up, Barretto’s final words “We are Monuments, you are Monuments” at this point in time everyone in the building is Monuments. I guess what they say is true, nothing like a home town show after all…
Monuments’ album The Amanuensis is out now via Century Media and trust us it’s bloody fantastic!
