Tonight has one objective. While it happens to be guitarist Jag’s birthday, celebrated mid-set with a rather stunning looking cake, it’s actually to celebrate the launch of The Ghost of a Thousand’s second album, and debut for major label Epitaph, New Hopes, New Demonstrations.
With just two days before the big push, the boys decided to put together a bit of a shindig on home turf and if that wasn’t enough they brought along tour buddies from recent months, Blackhole and This City, who open proceedings.
This City formed around a year ago, the drums follow a repetitive hi-hat triplet roll set to rinse and repeat, which can be heard variously on recent single Kids With Fireworks, We Move and then in the middle section of Colours. If you liked Rydell, early Taking Back Sunday or Brown Bike and would like to hear another average clone, check out This City.
Main support comes from Blackhole. We’ve watched them evolve over the last 18 months, despite often getting grief akin to some kind of “your dad’s the boss so we don’t like you” scenario due to frontman Rich Carters brethren being in another acclaimed UK band, Gallows. They roll like ‘Nam vets, togged up and ready for war, and on several occasions totally kicked our ass on Call of Duty 4.
There is something very endearing about Rich Carter, who tonight (like most) has a gripe with the use of a stage barrier. It’s understandable when you are a rebelling youth – he spends most of his time tearing up the dance floor with his disciples and new converts alike.
Finally after some faffing around with lights (thanks, we just love it when you decide to play in the dark) TGOAT finally don the stage. Ripping through a set consisting of both old and new material, with crowd pleasers such as Bored Of Math breaking up new tracks like the penetrative Good Old Fashioned Loss and the staggeringly hyper single Bright Lights, TGOAT are tighter than a seasoned junkie’s tourniquet. The only thing that could mar a powerful show is the poor sound. When will these techies learn that the headliners don’t need to be 10 louder than the act prior? Regardless, frontman Tom Lacey’s foray into the crowd seems to begin and end with a bloodied scalp as he is jettisoned into the ceiling on multiple occasions.
It’s been nearly three years since their debut album This Is Where The Fight Begins was released; in that time they’ve certainly not been a band running on empty. They’ve shared stages with Johnny Truant, Gallows, Cancer Bats, This Is Hell, Rolo Tomassi and Architects to name a few. A move to Epitaph will without a doubt see them travel across the States this year, with European festival performances already booked in including a rather lucrative headline slot at this year’s Download. The stars are shining for these ‘bright lights’.
