Reviewed by:
raging247, on june 16, 2006
1 of 3 people found this review helpful
Sound: I felt compelled to write this review after reading the previous review, which I cannot say I agreed with 100%, although I did attend the gig the following day. After seeing Tom with Blink at Reading 2003, I was not expecting much from his voice. However, I was happily surprised! While it was by no means perfect, and he really faltered on some of the more taxing songs, generally it held up well, although it was boosted by a range of effects. The overall sound was very powerful, with a backing track obviously used for the studio produced sounds. While I always prefer my music live, this didn't take away from the performance too much. All the band were solid, with only one little mistake from Tom. The most outstanding musician was Atom Willard, who was spot on all night, and almost, despite being behind the kit, had the best stage presence of all of them. // 7
Perfomance: Due to a "technical fault" AVA didn't hit the stage until about 80 mins after the support left it, leading to boo's and shouts of "You're shit." That was until they hit the stage of course, when it went crazy and (almost) all was forgiven. An apology 15 mins in made up for it entirely. I would have to say the thing that did let this gig really down was the attitude and lack of maturity on Tom's part. Despite trying to pass himself off as being in a more professional, emotional and dedicated band the sex and Dad jokes still made an appearance. Tom's complete arrogance (he kept spreading his arms) and occasionaly lengthy "inspirational" rants about "trying your best" and "changing the world" got boring very quickly and didn't do his image any favours at all. Maybe when he gets as big as The Beatles he can start doing that but not now. // 5
Impression: Brixton Academy is a great venue, and AVA certainly got it going. Despite much of the young crowd having to leave before the end of the set because of the delay in starting, "War" ended the show well, with already classics "The Adventure" and "Do It For Me Now" getting people moving during set. I did enjoy the gig, but will not being seeing them again on their next tour in support of the current album, and it wouldn't go in my top 20 or 30 gigs. However, for fans of Blink and Box Car, it's good to see Tom's new work and I would recommend it. Despite not enjoying his little speeches, Tom's pure passion and belief in music is very apparant and to his credit. Just wish he'd act more like a 31 year old! // 6
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