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Smoulty's Review of the Office 15/7/05
http://www.riffsonline.co.uk/colofficereview6.html#Anthem
Anthem have been off the scene for 18 months, with their very last gig also being at the Office. Tom left for new pastures, and the remaining band members searched long & hard for a suitable replacement singer. Which is incredibly difficult when you are a Rush tribute band and you need a vocalist capable of singing in the same range as Geddy Lee (near impossible). The quest had several false starts, and it seemed they would never find the right guy for the job. Tom ended up getting the bassist's position in the prog-rock covers band Prognosis, and shortly after that he rekindled an interest in singing with Anthem once again. With Anthem being an 'occasional' band who aren't exactly a regular gigging act, then there was no pressure on Tom, and he could still concentrate on Prognosis while doing the rare Anthem show too. So finally after a year and a half in the wilderness, Anthem at last returned to the Office to play. It's a weird state of affairs when Bradford based Rush tribute '2112' just played at this venue 3 months ago, and a brand new local Rush tribute 'Tom Sawyer' are due to play at the Office in 5 weeks. Yet it didn't dampen the enthusiasm or response from the crowd, and there was an excellent turn out at the venue. Anthem were playing in front of a home crowd with most of the band coming from around this area, and they brought with them a good cross-section of family, friends, Office regulars, and also a legion of Rush fanatics that had come out of the woodwork. The big attraction to this band is that unlike the other similar tributes covering Rush, this lot prefer the 'early' days of the group when they were more guitar driven and there were a lot less keyboards. And to be honest I think these local fans prefer it that way too!
The band kicked off shakily to the opening strains of 'Spirit Of Radio', and the gremlins in the works this night were strange booming noises coming out of the PA system, yet seeming to be triggered by the odd occasional drum beat. The peculiar sound explosions (not dissimilar to the '1812 Overture') were very distracting for the audience and band alike. At this stage panic started to set in with me, and I realised that if they didn't sort this out fast then the punters would start to drift away. The whole mix for the band wasn't at it's best from the opening few numbers, but slowly but surely it improved massively throughout the course of their first set. Eventually the only thing still going wrong were these booming noises, which did decrease in number as time went on, but were still very annoying when they happened. The band were well aware of this dilemma, and undoubtedly it did shake them up a bit. But as the noises became less frequent then the group's confidence grew, and towards the end of the first spot they had really picked up. A much-needed interval managed to sort out the problem, and from the second part onwards this was the REAL band in action! Energy levels were now up, a renewed confidence took over, and the group started to show true signs of being up for the challenge. The music took on a newer form with the band being tighter and more unified. From the second set opener 'Bastille Day', this lot never looked back and gave a 45-minute show of fantastic quality. There were loads of classic oldies in this section of the gig, and the Rush fans were in their element! Some fat bloke got up and played the intro to 'A Farewell To Kings', but luckily he didn't mess it up too badly (even if he was obviously shitting himself).
As a band they were performing very well, and probably better than their previous shows. Mick on drums was at last playing a 'real' drum kit instead of his preferred electronic model. The sound for his drums were far more natural and closer to Neil Peart's drum sound, and although Mick had to work harder on it, it did make the band sound better in the long run. John on bass showed his dexterity as he played some very nifty bass lines, and juggled with playing keyboard-triggering bass pedals at the same time. Lindsey on guitar just keeps on getting better every time I see him play, and apart from being the most 'authentic' Rush guitarist I've seen so far, he played some blinding solos, in particular on tracks like 'Freewill' and 'La Villa Strangiato'. And lastly Tom did incredibly well when you consider how hard it is to sing this kind of material. There were times when he seemed to spend more time looking at the rest of the band than singing to the audience, but when he hit certain notes then all was forgiven. He may not be the most natural of frontmen, but he does have a voice that is almost unique, and he always goes for those high notes that make him a far braver man than most. Even though the group did start off a little rocky at the very beginning, they managed to pull things around rather amazingly, and their second set was quite stunning. Tracks like 'Xanadu' made people's spirits soar, and old rockers like 'Anthem' reminded us all of just how amazing a band Rush were in their youth. Best moment of the evening was undoubtedly the 15-minute medley that made up the encore, and the opening section was the overture to 'Hemispheres'. Absolutely spectacular! This was the jewel in the crown that showed the band at their finest.
Anthem came back after a long period of a year and a half away from performing as a live band, and yet still played a really good show. Fair enough, the first half was a little unsettled with the sound problems that were going on, but the second slot showed them to be back on form. What this lot need to make them a better band are MORE gigs. The unfortunate thing about their current set-up is that they are scaled up for bigger venues. The amount of equipment on stage makes it totally unfeasible for them to play small pubs. Yet it's work at a grass-roots level that will tighten them up and make them far superior all round. This practice worked wonders for Back In Black, and turned them from a good band in to a 'great' band! Anthem need that same sort of discipline, where they are gigging 2 or 3 times per month. But that is going to be hard work for them while Tom's main commitments are with Prognosis. Anthem have tons of potential because the musicianship is so good, and also because they play the really early stuff that everyone adores. I would like to see this band get a lot more live experience under their belts, so that next time when they come back to the Office that they can deliver 2 sets of consistent dynamite quality. But for a comeback show, then this more than ably proved that they have what it takes.
Yours, "At the tobe of Hades by flickering torchlight", ... Colin Smoult. 18 / 7 / 05.
P.S. A huge thanks to Lindsey and the rest of the band for letting me on stage to play a little classical guitar. It was immensely appreciated, even though I've never been so nervous in many years. It was more scary than playing to thousands of people at Stormin the Castle. I was shitting my pants, but I did love the opportunity, so thanks to Anthem for giving me the chance.
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