Beats: ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead gig review (NAC)



On Monday, I went to see ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead at Norwich Arts Centre. Although I’ve been a fan of theirs for years, this was the first opportunity I had to see them so I was pretty excited.

...Trail of Dead is a progressive rock band and was formed in 1994 by Conrad Keely and Jason Reece. They originally started playing music in the indie rock town of Olympia, WA but eventually relocated to Austin, TX where they became the band they are now.

They currently have 7 albums out, in which each is uniquely different to the last, with their 2012 release Lost Songs out tomorrow but more on that later...

We got to the gig a little later than planned but early enough to catch the last few songs of support band MaybeSheWill; a post-rock band from Leicester. Their style is purely instrumental, experimental weird rock and I really enjoy them. I regret not being able to get there for the full set!

...Trail Of Dead came on with a big, atmospheric bang and launched into Strange News From Another Planet with gusto.

Going to a gig in the arts centre is weird though; bands rarely get the same reception as they would from any other venue because it really is quite different.

They played classics like Worlds Apart and Another Morning Stoner which probably got some of the bigger receptions.

See, Norwich Arts Centre isn’t a conventional gig venue. It’s actually a church which seems to have a weird effect on the crowd. It’s as if they feel they can’t go quite as mental.

As well as two songs from the new album, Lost Songs; Pinhole Camera & Up To Infinity. Of course, other fans in the crowd were a bit lost at this point, having not heard them before but they got into it. I had the satisfaction of knowing that I’ve heard the new album (review soon).

This time, however, the venue didn’t affect the madness of the crowd. It was as if Norwich Arts Centre was built for ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead to play in.

What I thought was really cool, and quite bizarre is that for a few songs, the drummer and the bassist switched places. I have never seen anything like it before. Usually, bands will just stick to their own corners of the stage and I’m fine with that but this was really fucking cool.

The crowd was mental but kind of in a bit of a daze at the same time. I’m presuming most of them were stoned but I’m not one to judge as I’d had a few beers.

The whole set was executed perfectly and with such enthusiasm. ...Trail of Dead really know how to pull off a live performance, both musically and with plenty of crowd interaction to bring a truly entertaining show. It was just sad that they had to cut their set short due to arriving to the venue late.

Next time ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead play in a city or town near you, I urge you to go and see them. You really won’t be disappointed.

The new album Lost Songs is out tomorrow, Monday 22nd October on multiple platforms.

Trail Of Dead online:


Nate

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