GiggingNI.com

Delirium Tremens

With Nietzsche's Last Days; Common Bred Trigger;

Having looked down the long list of line-ups for Bruised Fruit Promotions' Up in the Attic this season many months ago, I looked upon this one as the 'best' and possibly one of the gigs of this quarter for definite. Despite Thrones of Roll pulling out due to 'unfortunate' circumstances, the more than capable new sensation Nietzsche's Last Days slotted in to fill that gap and exceed any expectations. Pity that this gig, which I labelled 'the ultimate gig', was overshadowed by BBC Introducing's Four Nations show up in the Mandela Hall - massive pity because this was a good 'un.

Carrickfergus-newbies Nietzsche's Last Days stepped upon the mightily small Auntie Annies stage to announce that this was only their sixth gig - many could have been fooled to believe that they have been doing it for ages. Opening with the usual pounding bassline and incredible anticipation, 'Pro-Ana' kicked into full swing, summing up how a perfect song should be - great vocals, from James McCallum, wonderful backing vocals from Chris Wilson and Dan Crowe, with the consistency in the drumming with Matt McCabrey. Other songs in their set included the likes of 'Listen', the excellent 'Hyenas', 'Tear Yourself Away' before ending with the incredible 'Empty Space' - a song which will rise the hairs on your back. Definitely a band to watch closely - catch them next Wednesday (25th November 2009) in the Pavilion - you won't be disappointed.

Next up were Common Bred Trigger - a band that I respected a lot and was a fan of a number of their tunes. Stepping up on stage, frontman Karl alongside his bandmates, now sporting a beard, gave the crowd some 'Common Bred Trigger'. A lot more progressive sounding than the last time, but still with plenty of passion and enthusiasm, the guys put on a decent performance with plenty of moments where you're thinking "that guitar is gonna whack him on the head if he keeps moving like that!" alongside the occasional moment where the bassist was rocking so hard he was hitting the wall - awesome! Unfortunately I didn't catch many of the song titles (they really should tell us song names!) however I did catch the brilliant song 'Stray' which finished their set off quite nicely.

Now for the main event - definitely the band I came to see - Delirium Tremens. Having recently signed to now Belfast-based label Audio-Ill, the boys seem to be going from strength to strength. They will be supporting Junius on the 27th of November in Auntie Annies so this was a really a kick-up-the-ass to tell everyone to come along. Having had my request for oldie-but-goodie 'Remora' declined, I wasn't disappointed with the rest of their set. Using this gig as a showcase for some of their new material, I can honestly say that this could be the very best of Delirium Tremens - typical unique riffs and thundering basslines with those moments where you think the song is over but it isn't really. 'Shuffle Off This Mortal Coil' was definitely a major plus for me - one of the best songs I've heard in a long time. I seriously can't rate these guys highly enough - often regarded as 'criminally underrated' - well, I think this is an understatement. BBC Introducing, watch out for these guys.