Alexisonfire we won't forget you
Back in August 2011 many long-time Alexisonfire fans woke up to find that their favourite band had announced they were breaking up. A personal statement on the bands website explained that they had run their course. Lead guitarist Dallas Green wanted to focus on his acoustic project City and Colour and the other guitarist Wade Macneil was to join Gallows. Alexisonfire were trending on twitter all through the day as fans expressed how depressed they were that their favourite band were breaking up after ten years of making music.
Hope however should not have been lost because the band announced in July this year that they would be completing a farewell tour! And two stops would be in London, the only dates in Europe so they had have to be good right?
The atmosphere at the Brixton Academy was incredible! Fans everywhere discussing their favourite times they had seen them before, how many times they had seen them or discussing their favourite album by their favourite band. The Academy itself looks like more of a venue where you would go to watch a fat woman sing opera as opposed to see a post hardcore Canadian band end their career.
In the centre of a huge stage is a drum kit and a few guitars, this is for the first band Ghost of a Thousand. When they come out to 'warm up' the audience they look so out of place on such a big stage but still manage to put on a blinding performance for people on the floor and the balcony.
They know that people are not there to see them so do not spend time making it 'their show' but instead knowing they're an obstacle to get past before the main event. Still it was a great obstacle to get past. A great metalcore band who put on a brilliant show with amazing songs such as Canyons of Static and Bored of Math. They left by saying "this is the last show we're doing ever" maybe taking a leaf out of Alexisonfire's book or just joking? Who knows, time will tell.
So the time has come, the little band who came out of Canada in 2001 who took the rock world by storm have finally come to an end and it's the second night of their farewell tour. The atmosphere a mix of devastation and excitement but as the lights go out and a banner slowly drops down from the ceiling the audience scream the Academy down.
"This is called Young Cardinals" lead singer George Pettit shouts as they kick into their first song. Clearly the time apart from each other has done nothing to affect their stage performance; they sync with each other perfectly and play amazingly. George, Dallas and Wades' vocals have not slipped with age and it's clear they're putting their all into this show. Kicking straight into the massive song Boiled Frogs before they take a break to thank everyone for coming.
Seeing as it was a farewell tour it would be a crime if they didn't play songs from every dark corner of their back catalogue so they played well known songs such as No Transistory and Drunks, Loves, Sinners and Saints as well as older ones like Water Wings and 44 Caliber Love Letter. The post hardcore band never stopped or slowed down once, the instruments were perfect and the comination of Green, Pettit and Macneil was incredible to behold!
Playing their post encore songs This Could Be Anywhere in the World and
Accidents before exiting the stage, it's obvious they're going to come back but I can't help but chant their name along with everyone else. I don't even feel like a lemming following a crowd, i genuinely want them to come back...but at the same time I don't because then it is...the end.
The band come back out to cheers and screams and George takes up a place at a keyboard while others resume their regular positions. The band begin to play The Northern with a lovely piece of piano music, the audience all sing along and you can hear the emotion in everyone's voices.
On next to Dogs Blood another back catalogue gem followed by their final song Happiness by the Kilowatt a five minute song that just suits ending a show like this.
The band exit the stage after final bows to the audience with everyone cheering and clapping their amazing show. People are exiting the venue, some in floods of tears at the fact that that is the last time they'll see their favourite band to ever grace the music scene. In the words of their song That Girl posessed; Alexisonfire 'We won't forget you'.