Call Upon The Author

When the first of the two support acts, Franko, came on, the outlook for this gig looked grim. The lead singer uttered and persistently reiterated poppy hooks that had just the slightest hint of potential yet never really went anywhere. They masqueraded as a rock band and promised a heavier song, yet it sounded just like the one before it and that one sounded like all the others, in fact the only thing that got heavier were some people’s eyelids. Or at least they would have if it wasn’t for the incessant incomprehensible noise that blared from the speakers. After they thankfully left the stage Me Vs Hero came on to a round of screams and applause and although better than Franko, the only particularly memorable thing about their time on stage was the audience interaction, getting those daring few to take part in a wall of death and a human pyramid. Having been left so far with an increasing sense of disappointment it was time for the band of the night to come on stage to face their judgment.
If it wouldn’t be so boring the entire part of this review dedicated to Elliot Minor themselves, would consist entirely of one word: fantastic. They jump in right at the start, attacking the audience with a ferocious performance that more than makes up for their support. They move effortlessly and relentlessly from brilliant songs scattering their hits throughout the set to keep their lively audience in anticipation. They treat us to favourites such as ‘Time After Time’ and ‘Parallel worlds’ and even tease us with a taste of their new album by performing awesome tracks such as ‘Electric High’ and ‘The Dancer’.
Between songs they engaged the audience in idol chat and mild teasing. A slightly odd banner, if an A3 sized piece of paper can be called that, enticed Ed Hetherton, who plays bass, to lift up his shirt to prove that he had never used fake tan which in turn elicited screams of delight from the fan girls endowed with incredibly powerful lungs near the front.
In fact these girls screamed so much that it was surprising they still had the voice to sing along to ‘Jessica’ and ‘Still Figuring Out’. Yet, it appears, the miracle of will power and the sheer need to please the band who stood before them can make the seemingly impossible happen.
It was a good night with one fantastic band and two below average support acts. Even during the sound check it was hard to believe that Elliot Minor would disappoint everybody who had turned up to cheer them on, and, well, it’s a bit of an understatement to say that they didn’t.