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Your support makes all the difference.★★★★★
It’s been six years since post-hardcore five-piece Alexisonfire said their goodbyes to UK fans at Brixton Academy, but you get the idea tonight’s crowd were keeping faith they’d be back – especially after 2015’s special appearance at Reading and Leeds.
The Canadians returned to the stage in London with their distinctive melodic screamo, following a European tour and a Sunday spot at Download festival.
Following the eclectic blend of Watford’s Gold Key and a high-energy, whirlwind set from hardcore punk outfit and regular support act Cancer Bats, the wait is over and Alexisonfire arrive before a ravenous crowd.
When Dallas Green’s heavenly vocals pick up the chorus of opener “Young Cardinals” every fist flies into the air: this is a family reunion (the rare kind where everyone enjoys themselves).
Surging through 16 huge numbers from all four studio albums (and the Dog’s Blood EP) there are no big surprises as the set mirrors that of the rest of the tour; a couple of tweaks here and there, stopping just a few times to show some love to the crowd, the crew, the support.
But they’re nothing short of glorious as everything lands perfectly on point and the trademark interplay of Green’s dulcet tones and George Pettit’s rasped screams lifts the crowd to fever pitch.
“We are the sound! We have no voice!” bellow back the audience during the breakdown of “We Are the Sound” – words that seem truer than ever for a generation that feels left behind and pissed off.
Duelling guitars kick off the lengthy intro to fan favourite “.44 Calibre Love Letter”; the band return during the encore to their eponymous first LP with the dreamy “Pulmonary Archery”.
Watch Out’s “Accidents” is the penultimate track and a call to arms: “If only we could heal ourselves/We wouldn’t need to be hooked up to these machines”, and an emotionally charged rendition of “Happiness by the Kilowatt”, illuminated by a snippet of Tears for Fears’ “Shout”, sees off the night.
An ecstatic audience streaming out of the Academy is left with just one question: will we ever hear new material from Alexisonfire?
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