Here's the review from the Broadside Style section website:
Thursday, Murder by Death Perform at 9:30 Club
by Staff Writer Alison Brown
Theatrics are nothing new when it comes to rock ’n’ roll, but when four bands come together as they did Friday, Jan, 19 at D.C.’s 9:30 Club , it is nothing short of epic.
Sponsored by purevolume.com, New Jersey’s Thursday was joined by rising bands including Murder by Death, Fear Before the March of Flames and Heavy Heavy Low Low for the 2007 Strhess Tour.
San Jose’s grind core band Heavy Heavy Low Low opened the night with blistering guitars and crushing bass lines. The crowd burst into fits of dancing, swinging fists and screaming along with songs from the group’s 2006 release, “Everything’s Watched, Everyone’s Watching.” Closing the set, the chaotic musicians exploded into the favorite, “Tell Shannon Her Crafts are Ready.”
The next band to take the stage was Fear Before the March of Flames. Since the band’s first full length “Art Damage” released in 2004, FBTMOF has quickly become a hardcore circuit staple.
But FBTMOF was all about promoting the new release, “The Always Open Mouth.”
Much to the dismay of many fans, the band played lots of new material, most of which is slower and more mellow than the songs on “Art Damage.” The crowd stood in silence as the band plundered through its set.
“Play ‘Art Damage’!” shouted the crowd, waiting to dance as they did during Heavy Heavy Low Low.
But soon, Fear Before the March of Flames disappointed the crowd and left the stage.
A small blonde girl in a black dress carrying a huge cello case came on stage followed by a tiny man with slicked back, black hair and huge sideburns covering his face. Both are members of Murder by Death, one of the most unique bands out today.
Singer Adam Turla’s voice told stories of the devil and heartbreak, evoking the ghost of Johnny Cash as it boomed from his tiny frame. It weaved into the dancing rhythms of the drum and the frightening thuds of the bass. The cello’s haunting melodies ebbed and flowed, enchanting the audience. It oozed through the venue, adding atmosphere to the already narrative songs.
The Indiana-based group’s set put images of the West in the minds of many – of sin, the devil and drinking.
“The next two songs are about drinking. We write a lot of songs about drinking,” Turla said, before each member of the band took a shot of whiskey and broke into “Sometimes the Line Walks You” off the band’s newest release, “In Bocca al Lupo.”
After Murder by Death swept the audience into a trance with lush orchestrated songs, Thursday burst on stage with “At This Velocity,” knocking the crowd off their feet and back into reality.
Thursday rallied the crowed with old and new songs stemming from their 2001 release “Full Collapse,” their 2003 release, “War All the Time” and the 2006 release, “A City by the Light Divided.”
Although the band took a hiatus for three years, the performance was as fresh as if they just started touring.
Geoff Rickly, the band’s front man, continuously told the crowd D.C. is one of his favorite places to play. As a gift to the audience, they played favorites including “Understanding in a Car Crash” and “Cross Out the Eyes”.
During “Cross out the Eyes,” another voice joined Rickley’s. Anthony Greene, the singer of Circa Survive, who was recording in town, screamed right along with the crowd to the Thursday classic.
Thursday then broke into “Jet Black New Year,” the anthem for years past and knowing the future will never get better. The song thundered and the audience was left reeling.
Rickly, Thursday’s humble front man, said after touring with the Cure a few years back that he learned one thing: “Our audience is better than us. They always will be. When we’re done this music thing, we’ll be joining you in those dead-end jobs.”
Not only does Thursday admire their audience, they respect their peers. Describing how they met Murder by Death, Rickly dedicated the final song of the evening to the opening act, claming they were the inspiration. “Autumn Leaves Revisited” echoed Murder by Death’s style, but still rang true to Thursday’s image of love, pain and hope.
Although the club was not sold out, the bands filled the venue with great music.
Like the overtures of westerns, the opening bands Heavy Heavy Low Low and Fear Before the March of Flames set the intense mood. Murder by Death established scene and plot while Thursday brought the resolution, “like calendars dying at New Year's Eve parties, as we kiss hard on the lips and swear this year will be better than the last
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Check out the Broadside's online version . Make sure to find yourself on the Style page and read the review of the show.
Get more info on the bands too!
Thursday
Murder by Death
Fear Before the March of Flames
Heavy Heavy Low Low
Check out the Broadside's online version . Make sure to find yourself on the Style page and read the review of the show.
Get more info on the bands too!
Thursday
Murder by Death
Fear Before the March of Flames
Heavy Heavy Low Low
