Titus Andronicus have become a force to be reckoned within the indie rock world, this year releasing their most ambitious record to date, with the near sell-out crowd packed into Stereo’s basement as proof.
After a long hiatus and a disappointing reaction to their previous record, Local Business, Patrick Stickles came back with a bang in this year’s autobiographical “rock-opera” The Most Lamentable Tragedy.
Stickles is in fine form tonight, providing a good sense of self-effacing humour to proceedings, consistent with his lyrical content.
TA’s current line-up rips through the new songs at a terrific pace to rapturous applause from the crowd with ‘Dimed Out’ a particular highlight.
As the set rolls on, it is unsurprisingly the older hits that get the biggest responses’ ‘Albert Camus’ and ‘…Fall of Icarus’ are spectacular surprises in the set.
Throughout this tour, the band has been playing geographically related covers, such as Oasis in Manchester.
Stickles’ promised this earlier in the set, and when the band struck up the opening chords of ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’, right after their biggest hits ‘A More Perfect Union’ and ‘Titus Andronicus Forever’, the biggest pop of the night from the crowd threatens to drown out the band, leading to the biggest sing-a-long of the night.
Closing on The Monitor‘s centrepiece, ‘Four Score and Seven’, Titus Andronicus close one of their best sets yet and prove they are still a force to be reckoned with.
Words: Adam Turner-Heffer
Photos: Bill Gray
