Ward Park Part 2/3 – General Fiasco and Band of Horses
June 17, 2010 No Comments
General Fiasco Front-man, Owen, puts in the performance of his life, enhanced ever so slightly by a smokey haze (C) Gary Moore 2010
For Part One, Click Here
Words By: Matt Wheavil Photography: Gary Moore and Matt Wheavil
It’s 4:25pm… 5 minutes before General Fiasco enter stage right at what is to be the biggest gig ever in Northern Ireland. I take a quick scan around… I’m still surrounded by several teenagers all screaming their heads off at every hint of movement.
With my eardrums, already severely battered, three lads appear on stage and suddenly everyone realises – it’s them! The crowd erupts like a volcano and General Fiasco launch into their set at an explosive pace.
The first thought jolts into my head: ‘this is evocative of The Jam’ – Literally a 3 piece, delivering punk attitude and the stage presence to match. The audience fall in love immediately: Jumping up and down, shouting lyrics and waving their arms erratically. I almost feel 15 again.
General Fiaso - Not just evocative of the Jam. Better than the Jam! (Let's hope Paul Weller doesn't see this, although I'm sure he'd agree) (C) Matt Wheavil 2010
There are other bands that come to mind – Greenday and Blink 182 – with the drummer assuming a centre front position, grabbing the most attention simply by putting phenomenal force and enthusiasm into his drumming.
As they launch into ‘We are the Foolish’, a moment of true magnificence occurs when the crowd shout ‘WAKE UP! WAKE UP! HEY!’ brimming with excitement. With front man Owen strapped to his bass, the fans don’t even need a nudge – they clap and sing, as if they telepathically know when exactly to respond.
Look at their wee faces and arms - absolutely loving it (C) Gary Moore 2010
Seeing such a young band inspire instantaneous audience interaction, simply by throwing everything they have into their instruments is a sight to behold. The atmosphere is electric, every song is huge and each individual person standing around me carries an overjoyed facial expression, delighted to see a local band they know and love standing on the biggest stage Northern Ireland has ever seen, holding their own.
The highlights, of which there were many, included Owen performing Sinking Ships on his own with an acoustic guitar (delivering the most ferocious and engaging performance of his life in front of thousands), Rebel Get By (provoking such an energetic crowd reaction, that a large dollop of beer lands on my head – either that or someone’s seen my notepad, knows I’m a journalist and has a good aim) and of course, Ever So Shy – an anthem worthy of any stadium.
Enda and Leaky - The names are almost as good as their tunes (C) Gary Moore 2010
General Fiasco set the house on fire leaving everyone feeling great, energized and ready for more.
Immediately after I interview a random guy called Gerry behind me:
What did you think of General Fiasco?
“I thought they were really good, second time I’ve seen them!”
Fantastic, what was the best part?
“I like Buildings, so I do, big fan of Buildings. Highlight of the album for me!”
Crowd interaction was great wasn’t it?
“Yeah it was great, seems a lot of people knew the words!”
Big General Fiasco Fan?
“Yeah, ever since the album’s come out I’ve listened to it quite a lot… Hope they do well!”
I moved on to another fan called David Mullen from Dungannon:
Dave the 'better than Snow Patrol' General Fiasco fan strikes a magnificent pose (C) Matt Wheavil 2010
What did you think of GF there?
“F****n Great! Extremely good.
Best Part?
“Rebel Get By was class!”
Crowd interaction?
“huh.. oh! Yeah the crowd was good… and now I’m famous!”
Ha Ha, What do you think of Snow Patrol?
“Snow Patrol… I like those guys… General Fiasco are class though!”
Who’s the best?
“Dunno it’s tight… General Fiasco for me like!
That’s on the record, General Fiasco are catching up!
“I hope Snow Patrol don’t kick my ass!”
I’ll send them round…
Post reaction enthusiasm captured, I take a brief ‘7-up’ break, choosing hydration over Guinness and return to the front end-of the crowd (just a little further back than before), awaiting Band of Horses – American rockers who I know little about. Having just seen General Fiasco’s blistering performance, my expectations are running high.
I start talking to a girl from Switzerland who has seen Snow Patrol in her home town and was so impressed, she’s in Bangor!
Our conversation is interrupted though as Band of Horses arrive on stage, a 5 piece that look like they’ve time travelled from the 70s, full to the brim of charismatic facial hair and vintage guitars.
Facial hair to die for! (C) Gary Moore 2010
They open with an earth shattering hard-rock riff that sends shocks vibrating through my legs. I’ve never quite felt so blown away by a band’s opener – engulfing everyone’s ears in glorious thick and heavy distortion.
Their second song is equally thunderous, like the Rolling Stones with a considerably tougher edge. Maybe a little Black Crowes too – These guys don’t need General Fiasco’s energy, the attitude’s all in their classic, stadium filling rock ‘n’ roll sound.
Howdy Partner! (C) Gary Moore 2010
Each and every member exercise a gutsy and confident swagger that feeds into the crowd who react with a wave of sudden warmth and many start head banging subtly (sent back to the glory days of hair-rock and loving it).
In short, Band of Horses are a confident rockers, charismatic as hell, adorned with stylish hats, golden humbuckers and the haircuts and facial hair to match. Their sound is not just an explosion of noise either; it teems with melodic quality and charm.
Blown away for a second time, I turn back to the Swiss girl who’s still standing behind me and interview her:
All the way from Switzerland to see Snow Patrol - Elena and Kathrin (C) Matt Wheavil 2010
What’s your name?
“My name is Elena and I’m from Switzerland”
And you said you’ve seen Snow Patrol before?
“Yes, they once played in my home town in Switzerland on a festival
Where’s your home town?
“My home-town is St. Galan”
Wow, what was that like?
“Yeah they were great!”
And you really looking forward to seeing them again?
“Yes, that’s why we’re here again… It was just such a great concert in Switzerland last time because it was raining.”
And now you get to see them in their home, so you’re returning the favour?
“Yeah, and I think it’s much better when they’re playing in their home town!”
Let’s hope so. I also ask her who out of the first two acts she enjoyed the most and she tells me Band of Horses because General Fiasco were more for the young ones.
While, probably true, it was certainly a close call and Snow Patrol have undoubtedly picked a couple of very hard acts to follow…
The crowd start building... getting ready for Snow Patrol (C) Gary Moore 2010
Concludes Monday with Lisa Hannigan and Snow Patrol
All images above are subject to Copyright terms which are as follows:
(C) Gary Moore and Matt Wheavil – All Rights Reserved. If any person wishes to use this content for publication, they must request permission from the work’s respective owners, who can be reached by contacting: photography@musiclinkni.com