…Trail of Dead may have had their critics in the past, but one thing that’s always been sure is that they are a phenomenal live act.
They’re also a very hard working band; this is their third European tour (and second album) in as many years with their current, economically slimmed down four-piece incarnation, and they have been notably progressing with each trip.
Tonight is certainly no different and they rip through a storming set which is fairly amazing even by their very high standards.
Earlier in the evening when speaking to frontman and spiritual leader Conrad Keeley, he mentioned that the band will probably be taking a break due to personal commitments, and there seemed to be a real sense of uninhabited purpose in their energy and set-choice this evening.
The band don’t play much from new album ‘Lost Songs’ tonight (just three) but the songs they do play feel just as relevant and vital as their “classic” work – ‘Catatonic’ and ‘Up to Infinity’ particularly sound really riveting in this set.
But tonight really is one for their older fans, they have always made sure to include a good mix of songs in their sets, but tonight they really go for their “classic” era of Madonna and Source Tags & Codes.
Through so many great songs in their back catalogue featured tonight, it’s hard to forget what an exciting band they were and continue to be.
Songs like ‘Another Morning Stoner’ and ‘Will You Smile Again for Me?’ still sound as fresh and relevant as they did at the time, while fan favourites ‘A Perfect Teenhood’, ‘Caterwaul’ and ‘Totally Natural’ brilliantly cap off the main part of the set.
Easily, they save the best for last in an incredible 1-2-punch encore of ‘Mistakes & Regrets’ followed by ‘Richter Scale Madness’.
There aren’t two songs that more perfectly capture the bands essence; an intense, artful energy re-appropriating Sonic Youth and Unwound before them, in two perfect songs which lead-off their respective albums.
This is the band at their absolute best, and the fact that they can still pull these songs off with just as much expert precision and abandon proves they are one of the best bands of our generation.
Words: Adam Turner-Heffer
Photos: Euan Robertson
