Future Of The Left: Manchester Academy: 21.05.2009
Hail Future Of The Left, sourced from a place no indie reveler would tread – South Wales, where beasts and incest lies.
This could be an introduction to a Future Of The Left press release that would be indefinitely approved by the band, who, at their gig in Manchester, took any opportunity to rip the piss out of their homeland. “Anyone heard of Rhyll?” “Yeah!” shreaks an arse-licker, “aahh, you have dead eyes.” As a precursor to the music, Future Of The Left are great showmen with half the set time stand up comedy and the other heavy rock.
Andy ‘Falco’ Falkous, Jack Egglestone both previously of Cardiffers Mclusky, and Kelson Mathias of Jarcrew, are signed to 4AD as FOTL and what a feat, after only two albums. It couldn’t hurt to be supported by Steve Albini though as the ultimate raw production agent, which carved Mclusky’s dense sound. So Future Of The Left bring this style forward, and the idiosyncratic Falco vocals with wailing repetitive lyric. They start the set with 'Arming Eritrea', first track on 2009’s Travels With Myself And Another, next, 'Chin Music' from the same album and 'Land Of My Formers', an excellent rhythm section heavy stormer (after all, the band are one bass, drums, guitar and synth in a three-piece.) Carrying on to 'Curses', they roll out the anthemic 'Manchasm', which changes pace mid-song, narrated with ‘Colin is a pussy, a very pretty pussycat’ over and over again. Nonsensical lyrics twinned with bass and drum heavy hi-tempo rock equals hardcore escapist fun.
Maybe bassist Mathias knows how to do hardcore escapist fun best. While continuously mocking the audience, he has a subtle sense of care about him. When he crowdsurfs, sweating like a bastard dog as a finale, he warns the audience of the dangers of being in the mosh pit. Or then again maybe he doesn’t give a shit. Mathias asks the crowd to lift him up to the light rafters, where he hangs upside down still playing bass. The Welsh devil then drops headfirst into the crowd, seriously maiming a few devoted die-hard fans, and jumps onstage to carry on with 'Fingers Become Thumbs', 'Fuck The Countryside Alliance', 'Small Bones', 'Small Bodies', and 'Wrigley Scott' and 'Cloak The Dagger'. What a guy. Now that’s showmanship!
Words: Alice White
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