What an absolute honour it is to be in the Saint Luke’s tonight for the first night of The Boxer Rebellion UK tour, there is always a nice energy in the old church. We got down early at 5pm to interview the band and their PR were kind enough to invite us in to watch the sound check too which was an absolute pleasure.
After some food & refreshments we were soon back at 7.30pm for Haiver taking to the stage, who are led by former Frightened Rabbit guitarist Billy Kennedy, we are told that four hundred or so tickets have been sold for the show with the balcony being closed off for the night (more on that later). Kennedy entertains the growing crowd with a half hour of tunes from his relatively new band with Ghost Dance and Better being the pick of the set, he also reveals that the band are working on a forthcoming album release. We’re looking forward to that one. 7/10
The Boxer Rebellion release their seventh studio album on 27th March, we have already had a sneak preview of The Second I’m Asleep and can confirm that it exceeds expectations. The guys told us during the interview that they will play four tracks from the album tonight, three having been released as singles – Flowers In The Water, Satellite Above and Hidden Meanings being the songs – alongside Last Of A Dying Breed and it is the first mentioned that kicks off the eighteen song set tonight. It is the best possible start to the set made even better with Charlie Barnes, the Bastille guitarist, standing in for Andrew Smith, who has damaged his tendons, quick recovery Andy! If there were any worries as to whether Barnes would fit into The Boxer Rebellion style then these were quickly quashed during the first few songs … he is absolutely mesmerising to watch at times with his stage movement being a big attraction.
Let It go and Diamonds are played early in the set and both go down well with the chilled Glasgow crowd. Diamonds is by far the band’s biggest track and gets a great reaction from the appreciative crowd, Nathan Nicholson stands out on this one alongside Charles Barnes. We were given permission to sit up in the balcony for this set and we are so glad we did! During New York, drummer Piers Hewitt is joined by Charlie Barnes and Adam Harrison on snare drums (in true Bastille style!) adding to the already special atmosphere while Nathan excites the crowd on vocals. Satellite Above was released the previous week and goes down a treat being played live for the first time tonight, the acoustics of Saint Luke’s are so inviting for this particular band. Big Ideas is one of the best of the set and a personal favourite too, Tennessee born Nathan Nicholson wows the crowd with his unique vocal style. As the band were formed in 2001 this tour could also be considered the 25th anniversary tour.
Nathan brings the vocal chords up a notch or two for Hidden Meanings, the third from The Second I’m Asleep album and it is so good to hear live for the first time, for those yet to see the band on this tour they are in for a treat. What The Fuck? is played acoustically and is another standout while Watermelon from the 2005 album Exits is being played for the first time in fifteen years Nathan tells us. As we move towards the end of the set, the fourth new song Last Of A Dying Breed sounds so good and this is quickly followed by Murder Ballad, the guitar work on this track is nothing short of jaw-dropping. Here I Am ends the set with Charlie on acoustic and bass player on keyboards showing off their extended musical abilities … yeah these guys are the real deal. From start to finish The Boxer Rebellion proved how much their music is loved and with shows still to play in Manchester, Bristol and London their English fans have a lot to look forward to, as do the European fans as they head out to play shows in The Netherlands and Germany. 10/10
Written by: Alan Brown
