The Last Republic @ 229 Club, London, 31st March 2009 [Live]

"They are simply a band you must see live."

April 5, 2009, 08:02 PM

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Having heard plenty about the amazing live experience that is a Last Republic gig, especially from those whose opinions I resolutely trust, I was eager to see what was in store for me. The Welsh quintet take to the stage, and I absently notice the white megaphone with the words “A WEAPON” emblazoned on with black marker pen standing idly by the lead vocalist mic; probably something that was left by one of the support acts, I think.

They start their headline set with the anthemic “Let's make Bombs”, and a quietness ensues the small but surprisingly spacious 229 Club. Sounding exactly as they had earlier (earlier being when I had listened their MySpace whilst getting ready for the show in order to get acquainted with their sound), but BETTER, this so-called 'amazing' live experience of theirs was clearly starting to manifest, and the crowd were, in the appropriate, respectful manner, genuinely appreciating it.

With a sprinkling of new, fresh songs from the eventual upcoming album amongst the more familiar ones from their current EP, The Last Republic moved graciously from track to track; tight, polished and with little interruption bar the occasional song introduction and a brief speech near the close of the set about voting for them “on the road to V”, they certainly won my vote.

Rich, sustained , emotive vocals against the climatic, atmospheric music, The Last Republic fully captivated their audience, whilst also using a few interesting visual stage antic along the way, such as guitarist Dafydd Anthony creatively using his mic up and down the fretboard during “CCTV”, and front man, John Owens, finally utilising that megaphone by his feet, sometimes placing it infront of his guitar (during “Perfect Strangers”, which brings me to my one and only complaint – feeeeeedback!), or vocally (throughout last song and upcoming single release,“The Fear”).




Personal high light of the faultless set was without doubt newer song, "When Darkness Calls". Despite having never heard it previously I was amazed by how clean and precise it sounded, the vocals were.. perfect. Of course, a lot could be said for the great acoustics of the 229 Club, but at the end of the day, they can only do so much. Even with a shit PA I have full faith they could still pull off a steller performance.

To summarise, when I had initially listened to their music before attending the show, my first thoughts were, almost dismissively, “very Radiohead, Muse”. Not to say that that was a bad thing; how could being likened to Radiohead possibly be a bad thing? However, it wasn't the sort of music that I would typically get excited about, well, not since “The Bends” anyway (controversial I know!). For me, generally, I find that 'type' of music a little overindulgent (especially Muse) and thus tire of it fairly easily. I think it's the long, drawn out vocals, I'm clearly more punk at heart and have the patience of one to go with it. But, saying this, one of the things to remember about these bands is that they are bands renowned for for their live performances, their music can never fully be transcended to equal quality into the recorded format, it would just be impossible. And The Last Republic are no exception, they fall into this genre and category completely because of those very same reasons. They are simply a band you must see live.

Set list
1.Let's make bombs
2.As Darkness Calls
3.C.C.T.V
4.Untitled 1
5.Castle walls
6.Perfect Stranger
7.The Fear

Photography by Charlotte Hoole http://www.flickr.com/photos/farleys_rus...

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