Russell Hughes@Think Tank, Newcastle, September 13 2016
When a band comes on stage with a bottle of vodka, you know they mean business. Unfortunately for the fans, the only business The Fall of Troy seemed intent on was concluding the show as quickly as possible.
On paper, this should have been the perfect gig. TFOT are a big enough name to gather a good crowd to the intimate Think Tank, while the sound and their abrasive style are raw enough to force a pair of devil horns from the hands in pockets brigade.
But the show just felt slightly off. It could have been the clear disgruntled looks cast towards the sound technician during the opening few songs, or the complete lack of interaction with the audience – who weren’t even greeted to so much as a ‘how’s your father’.
Perhaps it was even when frontman Thomas Erak slapped away a member of the crowd’s phone, who was using it to record parts of the show.
The skill of the band is beyond question and they delivered each tune perfectly – something that’s no mean feat considering the complexity of their music. Erak nailed his parts, especially on the final song of the night – F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X.
And if this was supposed to be a tour in support of their first album for 13 years, nobody told the band – who only played 401K and Inside Out from their new material. Choosing to play so many of their old songs was a clear nod to the history of the group, but stone cold killers An Ode To The Masochists and Suck-O-Matic deserve to be given some air time too.
Whatever it was, The Fall of Troy delivered a show that was very much like one of their albums: incredibly rough and raw, with hints of polish thrown in for good measure.