The venue of choice, as it was back in 2022, was the Phoenix - and I got to the venue just as the night's opening act The Nocturnal Affair were starting their set. The Las Vegas-based five-piece turned out to be quite decent, and forged a metallic gothic rock sound with occasional heavier moments to create a generally pretty captivating vibe which the crowd seemed to enjoy. Frontman Brendan Shane had a great voice and easily managed to build a rapport with the crowd - and he even threw in a few bursts of harsh vocals into some of the songs. The band did not feel all that metallic overall, though, and their music was much more rock-based overall I thought - despite a few crunchy riffs and busy, shredded solos. The overall melancholy of the band's gothic sound likely tempered the heaviness and there was a strong synth backing throughout many of their songs - with Shane adding some piano lines here and there when needed, too. Probably the song which stood out to me the most during the set was the early anthem A Thousand Ways to Die - which was likely the hookiest of the night. In truth, none of the songs really disappointed - but that one felt the most anthemic and memorable. It was a shame, then, that none of the other songs stood out in quite the same way. The band's sound is certainly enjoyable, but I would have liked a few more anthemic moments in the set - despite the rest of the songs generally still being enjoyable. The Nocturnal Affair's sound contains a lot of tropes which I tend to like, though, so they seem like a band that I should check out further. Gothic music sometimes takes a few listens for the atmosphere and melancholy to hit home - and based on their strong showing last night I think The Nocturnal Affair merit further investigation.
Sadly, though, I cannot say the same about Scotland's North Atlas who followed. Whilst it is accurate to say that I have never seen a band quite like North Atlas before, their caustic and industrial sound did little for me - and when this electronic sound was fused with a strange, almost folk metal, aesthetic, the whole package just seemed rather confused. The singer was dressed all in white, in what at first I thought was a tracksuit but it was not, whereas the rest of the band were all in various states of rugged dress with Norse-esque warpaint. The mix of styles was very strange - and they even adorned the stage with some Pagan-esque folk horror statues. The music, though, did not really give off a folky vibe at all. There was one very percussive number early one which had strains of a Viking-esque war cry underneath all of the leaden riffing and percussion, but generally the band's overall sound was pretty modern and electronic driven - with both the guitarist and bassist often abandoning their main instruments to fiddle around with synths. As such, I am really not sure what to make of North Atlas. It is always good to see a band doing some genuinely different, and I doubt there is another North Atlas out there, and they certainly put on a memorable performance - but not necessarily for the right reasons. Aesthetics only go so far, but I cannot remember what any of their songs sounded like 24 or so hours on. I can picture the band and their stage set, but I cannot hum any of their songs - which would suggest that their music made very little impression. It did not seem all that melodic, and the band seemed like one which preferred to create a caustic and noisy vibe than craft strong and memorable songs. That being said, there seemed to be a few down at the front who seemed pretty into what North Atlas were doing - but most around me towards the back just seemed a bit bemused by the whole thing. I imagine that North Atlas are used to being divisive, and perhaps even revel in it, but it is fair to say that their set was not really for me - and I imagine I was not alone in feeling that way.
Thankfully, though, Barras and his band were soon on-hand to set things straight - and for the next 90 minutes they delivered a strong 14-song set of modern rock. With seven cuts from the new album played, and only three of the songs featured not from the last two albums, the setlist was very forward-looking - with many of his best modern anthems roaring out of the speakers. The riffy Hourglass got the set off to a fine start, with Barras appearing at first without his guitar to prowl the stage before one was brought to him just in time for the solo, whilst the anthemic Dead Horses, a personal favourite, completed a great opening one-two punch. I did wonder, though, if Barras was perhaps suffering from illness a little. His voice sounded a little rougher than usual, particularly early in the set, but he still sounded great - and perhaps his guitar playing was better than ever. There are plenty of bugs going around, and touring is famously an unhealthy pastime, but he battled through whatever the issues were - with his tight band sounding as good as ever. Savages was the first big crowd sing-a-long of the night, thanks to its big chorus, whilst Josiah Manning (guitar/keyboards/vocals) delivered a shredded guitar solo of his own. The energy barely let up at all throughout the first half of the set. Hard-hitting rockers like Unbreakable and Who Needs Enemies sat nicely alongside slightly more cinematic pieces such as the melodic These Voices - before a powerful version of With You brought this early onslaught to a close. Barras and the band have made a bit of a change to the live set this year and have started to reintroduce some keyboards back into their sound - after abandoning them during their heavier transition. Manning has added his piano playing to the set with him and Barras then playing a couple of songs in a stripped back manner. New cut Landslide was the first piano-led track played, which Manning capped off with a lengthy, classically-inspired solo, before Barras came back armed with a guitar - launching into a bluesy solo which transitioned nicely into Watching Over Me, the first older cut played. The ballad always feels like the centrepiece of any Barras show, and the piano-led version worked really well again - with plenty of room for Barras' soloing before the rest of the band joined in towards the end to add weight. The rest of the set was heavy again, though, following this little break - with the anthemic Fall to Fly and the metallic Apocalypse the last new songs played before a lengthy rendition of Ignite (Light It Up) was a vehicle for soloing. There was a lot of back and forth between Barras and Manning, but the spotlight was also turned over to Frazer Kerslake (bass guitar/vocals) and Billy Hammett (drums) for some rhythmic playing. This then led nicely into a main set-closing version of My Parade, which ended with Barras in the crowd conducting a big sing-a-long. The cheers were huge as the band left the stage - but there was time for one more. Hail Mary will likely be the song which Barras is remembered for, and it remains his anthem despite all of the sound shifts in recent years. The song always goes down well live, too, and it worked well as a powerful encore - with the whole crowd singing along one last time before the night came to a close. The setlist was:
Hourglass
Dead Horses
Savages
Unbreakable
Who Needs Enemies
These Voices
With You
Landslide
Watching Over Me
Fall to Fly
Apocalypse
Ignite (Light It Up)
My Parade
-
Hail Mary
Barras and his band never disappoint live and I have really enjoyed seeing them a number of times over the past few years. He is showing no signs of slowing down, either, and with each album he seems to go from strength to strength. He is a genuinely big name in the UK scene currently and I can only see that growing further thanks to his songwriting ability and affable personality. I am sure that it will not be too long before he returns to Devon - and I will be there when he does.
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