Sign In:

208 users online Sign Up! (forgotten password?)

'A'

Instruction

jglazebrook by James Glazebrook [Edit this content] ▾ 8 comments 18:03 May 12th, 2005
Edit this event
6322
Date: 11/05/2005

Attendees


Add your name

Tom Capone** must be wondering what he has done to earn this waking nightmare. Once the guitarist in seminal hardcore band Quicksand, ten years later he finds himself grinding his axe with the punk-by-numbers Instruction. To make matters worse, his new group have been consigned to support band purgatory, having spent the last three years warming up teenybopper crowds for the likes of Linkin Park, and until recently having to max out their own credit cards to pay for the privilege.

Although Capone is the musical linchpin of the group, who sound (surprise surprise) like Quicksand, only heavier and grungier, Instruction is vocalist Arty Shepherd’s show. He is the New Yorkers’ ticket to the big time. Offstage, he provides press-friendly soundbites slagging off the very bands he’s supporting; onstage, he's a whirlwind of energy, screaming his heart out, launching himself across the stage and attempting to surf the three-deep crowd.

Instruction aren’t ‘Great’, despite having a song named just that, but Shepherd is entertaining to watch- until he attempts to out-hardcore the competition in the preaching stakes. Introducing ‘Your Punk Sucks’- a crunchy Foo Fighters-style thrash out apparently ‘inspired’ by Good Charlotte- Arty insists that it ‘means more now than ever_’. The irony obviously escapes him when, in the same breath, he introduces the ‘mighty’ A, a band who would give their drummer’s right arm to be Good Charlotte.

There isn’t much to say about A, except that their punk really sucks. They have been treading water ever since their 1998 debut ‘'How Ace Are Buildings'_’, only keeping their heads above water because of Britain’s overwhelming desire to reclaim metal back from the Yanks. Tonight they are making a big deal of playing the vast Bassment, despite having sold just enough tickets to fill the 300-capacity Global Bar upstairs.

What little crowd there is lap up A’s brand of dumb nu-metal, but given that their average age must be around 14, they are probably just glad to be out past bedtime - half an hour earlier they were applauding the soundcheck. The pop-punk pretenders play like the amateurs they are, with faux-American vocals, horrible harmonies and keyboards so far down in the mix they prove nothing more than a gimmick. It remains to be seen whether A will have more success following their idols Green Day and Blink 182 down the ‘serious’ route (with forthcoming album ‘Teen Dance Ordinance_’), but tonight it looks like the party is over.

  • 'A' 5 / 10
  • Instruction 5 / 10
'A' Instruction
From the archive

'A'

"There isn’t much to say about A, except that their punk really sucks."

'A' were never punk, they were pop. And bloody great pop. (...although I haven't heard the new album yet)
Damian | 12 May '05, 23:37 | X | Reply

'A'

globals 300 capacity ? fuck i thought it was much smaller than that, its tiny in there!

bassments like 1250 though... must've seemed absolutely deserted in there, poor guys
soapy | 13 May '05, 00:26 | X | Reply

'A'

'A' were always awful. Symposium were far better live and Midget wrote much better pop songs - both were young and 'A' wrote dumber lyrics than either, whilst pushing 30. Then they break with a single that sounds like something Linkin Park would reject for being too cheesy. Plus the singer sounds like a gerbil being buggered by an elephant.
tom_edwards | 13 May '05, 04:37 | X | Reply

'A'

Saw them at the Metros last month, and they were pretty awesome. Each to their own.

Just a good party night out really. Take it less seriously I would advise.
Doive | 13 May '05, 10:15 | X | Reply

'A'

Was at the Newcastle gig and thought it was great. Didn't spot many 14 year olds in the very modest numbers, but everyone really enjoyed the show.
A aren't really a band to take that seriously - they've been a fun pop-punk outfit taking the piss out of Dukes Of Hazzard, old people, and coffee houses for the past eight years.
They sing songs about good times, buildings and how ace they are, how translating errors changed the name of a computer game and how cool Lake Tahoe is.
"My name's Jason, I'll rock yer face in coz I've got relations in my band..." dumb fun, but you've gotta love 'em.
"It remains to be seen whether A will have more success following their idols Green Day and Blink 182 down the ‘serious’ route" - doubt it.
philos | 13 May '05, 12:54 | X | Reply

'A'

Sorry but your review is way off. Doing the whole the place was full of 14 yr olds things is just lazy journalism. If you look almost every punk band who have a slight tune to them attract younger listeners. Further more "A" have nothing what so ever in common with Good Charlotte. "A" have never been punk or attached themselves to the 'hardcore' scene, it's reviewers like you who did that in order to make them easier to criticise.

But....... each to their own.
Stevie_C | 13 May '05, 20:53 | X | Reply

'A'

The thing I've always liked about 'A' is the emphasis on fun. I know it sounds blatantly obvious, but while people often talk of 'enjoying' going to gigs, how often do you hear the word 'fun'? 'Fun' isn't 'cool', apparently.

And tunes. Tunes are important. 'A' have tunes.
Damian | 14 May '05, 12:57 | X | Reply

'A'

didnt go to this show, but heard it was a bit odd being in a too large venue for the number of tickets sold....

other than that though, cant really agree with the rest of the review....'A' arent punk, or nu metal (although Nothing was pretty much that way) their pop/poprock whatever....

and midget didnt write better tunes, or they'd still be around....bar invisible balloon and artwork they were gash. symposium were good live, but that might be more to do with our age as well, gigs are quality when your 13-15, every single gig.

and as for wanting to be good charlotte, YES theyd like to be successful and live in america, they admit that in their own lyrics....but wanting to sound like them? hardly.......
Gashwrecker | 17 May '05, 09:56 | X | Reply

Add your comment

Reply


 or Abandon