Review: Twin Atlantic w/ More than Conquerors
Masons Bar, Derry
By Daniel Robinson
Twin Atlantic. More than Conquerors. Derry. Fiver in. “Ye cannae beat it” as one individual put it.
Hardly content with showing us up at Belsonic, the Glaswegians had to come to the City of Culture ahead of opening for Blink 182 in Dublin to rub salt in the wounds.
But just as Fighting With Wire had done at the weekend, Belfast’s More than Conquerors are here to make a case for the homeland whilst taking a breather from the studio.
“We went into the studio today with Chris from Smalltown to cut a few demos. We’re bringing out an EP in February through Smalltown America” revealed guitarist Danny Ball when I got chatting to him after they’d finished playing. It’ll be a release many are acheing to hear given the mighty impact their five-track debut has already made this year, of which Glasgowbury main stage was an immediate aftermath.
They have a point to prove in Mason’s tonight though, having looked out to a crowd of spiritless juniors when they played the Millennium Forum at the start of the month. The audience isn’t much older tonight but they at least look interested in what the band have to say for themselves. It’s tracks like “I’ve Done Nothing/I’ve Done It All” that do all the talking. Soulful as hell, unpredictable and immeasurable walls of riffs at every other turn. The delicate vocals of Kris Platt could lullaby a crowd as easily as he could incite a sweat-pit with softened traces of hardcore wretching.
Not tonight though as requests for a mosh land on deaf ears, so for now we can only fantasize of the carnage that awaits “Go on, Go on, Get Out”’s outro somewhere down the line. Putting it bluntly would be saying big things are expected of the country’s brightest upstarts.
Everyone is more ready for Twin Atlantic and Masons is suddenly heaving by the time they take off with “Lightspeed”. It’s a massive opening, but rammed as the place is, it’s only a handful of devotees at the front that keep the band’s outpouring from going to waste. It takes a while for everyone else in the room to warm up to them but when the set has hit it’s stride mid-way through, with the temperature screaming and it looking like a game of twister with instruments on the tiny stage, the atmosphere is unbeatable. So much so that a brand new track even goes down well – though still not as triumphantly as “Caribbean War Syndrome”, an anthem which even Biffy would be hardpressed to out-epic.
It’s overwhelming stuff from a group of guys only one album in and even though the stuffy environment could have strangled the life out of their colossal sound, they’re clearly seasoned pros in adapting themselves to suit wherever they play.
Speaking of how the Blink 182 gig came about, guitarist Barry McKenna said “Tom Delong, we met him a few times before and he was a fan of our record. Sam and Ross will tell you Blink are one of their favourite bands ever. Growing up they were really into skating and stuff so all they listened to was pop punk.”
Twin Atlantic’s towering rock will be right at home at the O2 tonight – but we might have to send a message back to Glasgow with NI’s big-hitters next time.
Sneaky audio interview with More Than Conquerors.
Click the link to have a listen. Was done on the McFly so excuse the state. There’s a wee scoop in there though, worth a click! More than Conquerors soundbite
By Daniel Robinson
