Taking Back EMO!

Posted on 27th Mar 07 by Contributor | 0

Artist: Hell is for Heroes
Author: Scott Edgar

Hell Is For Heroes" Fighting With Wire" Mojo Fury" Dopamine
The Limelight" Belfast
22 March 2007

Back in 2004 we were in the midst of a music revolution. Britpop was celebrating its tenth anniversary and whiney northerners had been usurped by art school drop"outs with fashion sense" teenage angst and loud guitars. Emo was on the way" At the time I was listening to Finch" Funeral For A Friend and a relatively new band called Hell Is For Heroes. They played to a packed out Empire Music Hall in Belfast long before anyone knew who My Chemical Romance or Fall Out Boy were" before the music came secondary to the stripes" ties" chucks" posturing and diagonal jet"black hair. Three years later Hell Is For Heroes have returned to Belfast and are promoting their latest album by doing what they do best " playing great tunes live and loud.

First on stage are Welsh outfit Dopamine. They"ve recently played Belfast along with The Blackout as well as touring with Lost Prophets. They liked the place that much they demanded to come back and play tonight even though it meant their set being hurled out to a less then full venue. Dopamine give you a straightforward set without the marketing frills of many other bands" no gimmicks" no shout outs to Myspace friends" just catchy hooks" big choruses and enough onstage posing to make it look effortlessly cool.

Lisburn alt"rockers Mojo Fury have the formidable task of following this. Fortunately there aren"t many bands better versed in thumping out a powerful loud set in a familiar venue and the confidence of playing in front of friends and fans alike is clear. Mike plays drums and hurls lyrics at an impressed looking crowd. When they first burst onto the scene they were simply that band with the singing drummer. Tonight is something of a coming of age for Mojo Fury as we"re able to take note of some well crafted tunes" added backing vocals and expert musicianship.

In 2004 when Hell Is For Heroes" "Neon Handshake" album was riding high in the alternative charts" Northern Ireland"s next big thing was rumoured to be a trio from Derry called Fighting With Wire. The first time I caught this band they were supporting a relatively unknown female fronted act called The Gossip. It"s all been swings and roundabouts on the British music scene and while Beth Ditto"s band have gone from obscurity to ubiquity and Hell Is For Heroes dropped somewhat off the radar" Fighting With Wire have been consistently writing" gigging and touring without achieving the success that many perhaps feel they deserve. They"ve built up a great set of songs and a hardcore following based on good old"fashioned rock and roll values. Some might call front man Cahir cocky" others would say enigmatic or charismatic. The truth is he won"t care what you think. Midway through tonight"s set he"s sticking two fingers up at the indie"music"circus and taking it back down to chords" lyrics and big whoah"whoah choruses"

The scene is well set for the return of the London band that has been out of the headlines for just a little too long. Most of the crowd here to see them tonight would probably have been too young to go see them in 2004 and it"s a testament to a band who can maintain a venue filling fan"base without the constant media shock sensations. Dressed in black" guitars feeding back" pounding drums and enough bass to rumble your innards" It"s a wall of sound that Phil Spector would have been proud of. When it all kicks in together it"s just the shot in the face that the stagnant pretty scene needs. There is no special place in the set for "the hits" of yesteryear. Everybody"s favourite HIFH track "I Can Climb Mountains" is casually thrown in early in the set. These boys don"t rely on the conventional ceremony of a touring rock band. They"ve been away for years writing and gigging" getting ready to showcase a whole set of new material" promote a new album and take you through a breakneck rush of heartfelt lyrics over hurtling guitar riffs and as the guys come back on stage for a two song encore we"re drawn into an impromptu mosh"pit. No one cares if they"re sweaty or their hair is out of place. No one cares they"re breaking their ribs on the barricades down the front. No one cares the security staff are trying to vacate the building. No one can hear anything but the ringing in their ears and the resounding echoes of a time when emo was a music genre and not a fashion statement.