COHEED AND CAMBRIA / GLASSJAW | LIVE REVIEW
Great Hall, Cardiff University Students Union, Sun 31 Jan
Somehow, nearly 14 years have passed since Glassjaw put out their last LP, Worship And Tribute, and there’s a real buzz of anticipation from many in the sold out Great Hall to hear new material. First, however, Glassjaw explode into the familiar one-two of Tip Your Bartender / Mu Empire. An extraordinarily tight new rhythm section back up the glacier-cool Justin Beck and the elastic, acrobatic Daryl Palumbo, who hurls himself energetically around the stage. Two new numbers are eventually aired tonight, including the savage New White Extremity, a song which layers sinuous, Snapcase-esque riffs beneath Palumbo’s soaring vocals. The Long Islanders close their 40-minute set with a coruscating clatter through Siberian Kiss to warm applause.
That warmth is nothing, however, to the sweaty fervour that greets Coheed And Cambria’s arrival on the stage. Galloping into Island from their latest full-length, The Color Before The Sun, their first to depart from their previous fantasy concept, they provoke some movement from the packed crowd for the first time in the evening. The rest of their extensive set is smattered with more numbers from this latest LP, all of which demonstrate the band’s fundamental talent for creating gloriously catchy pop hooks. And that’s the key to their undeniable appeal: beneath the rumbling bass, the hammering beats and the shredding, NWOBHM riffs, Coheed And Cambria are a very good pop band. Certainly, their ambitious prog song structures and willingness to experiment set them well apart from most of their peers, but it’s the perfectly crafted melodies that keep crowds like tonight’s flocking back in their droves.
The sweaty audience really flares into life for the older tunes, howling back the choruses for Coheed classics, like Devil In Jersey City, at frontman Claudio Sanchez, whose power-stance, Gibson Explorer and shaggy mass of hair add up to make it look as though the band are fronted by James Hetfield after a trip to Buzz Osborne’s barber. Finishing on the stomping Welcome Home, Coheed And Cambria leave to a rousing roar from a fully satisfied Cardiff crowd, who will welcome them back anytime.
words and photos HUGH RUSSELL