New Model Army
Classics like No Rest and 51st State still fizzle with rage, and more recent tracks like Winter and Angry Planet are already welcomed like long lost friends
It was down to Epic Studios to see the legendary New Model Army last night. The vibe was strange as security ran metal detectors over us before we entered the venue, all very unwelcoming and heavier than London venues I’ve visited recently.
Support band were Anglo American outfit The Autumn Saints. Based in Oxford, with lead singing bassist Britt Strickland providing the American angle, they were ok. Earnest, well intentioned Americana that went down reasonably well with some of the early arrivals but made little impression on the majority.
This was my third time seeing NMA, I’ve long been an admirer, rather than a fully-fledged fan, only occasionally dipping into their musical world. They have always stood alone – they are not punk, indie, metal or folk, yet combine elements of all of those genres to make music that really sounds like no-one else. Their fans are famously passionate, and part of the fun of seeing them live is watching their audience really lose themselves in music that means so much to them.
This tour is ostensibly to promote last year’s Unbroken album, but the tour was postponed by a year to allow drummer Michael Dean to recover from surgery, so it has morphed into a canter through their 45 year history. Beginning with a solo performance of Better Than Them by frontman Justin Sullivan and ending 22 songs later with a rendition of the classic Green & Grey, this was an at times thrilling example of live music, yet from my perspective at least there were also numerous troughs, scattered among the peaks. It all comes down to where you stand with the band – if you’re a card-carrying member of The Family, as their fans are known, then the journey through songs from 13 different albums would have been a source of joy, to the more casual observers, then at times some of the songs elicited a much less passionate response.
Classics like No Rest and 51st State still fizzle with rage, and more recent tracks like Winter and Angry Planet are already welcomed like long lost friends, but by the end of the lengthy set I must admit that I’d had my fill. New Model Army are a great band, who last night played a good, but not great gig. It’s been a lot of fun spending time with their music over the past few weeks, but 36 years after first seeing them live, I’m happy to admit that we shall continue to be casual acquaintances rather than best mates.
