Against Me! @ The Forum,Melbourne (03/05/08)

Mon 5th May, 2008 in Gig Reviews

If there’s one band that’s needed in a world where catchy slogans are no longer the domain of idealist sixties rock revolutionaries, but marketeering governments, it’s Against Me!. With lyrics that question the nature of protest, the state of the world and the living contradiction as a DIY band on a major label, they performed tonight not to provide answers to the world; but instead to set the crowd off to find answers themselves.

Clad in black t-shirts against a black curtain, surrounded by the ostentatious architecture and empty back seats of the Forum Theatre, the set was light on banter, but filled with passion. Beginning with Up the Cuts, any assumed challenges to their controversial major label move was killed dead. They tore shreds through the bland, unadventurous areas of the music industry and then responded with their own manifesto for something greater in New Wave.

This confronting opening set Against Me! off. They powered through a set of hits, igniting the crowd, who had fists raised at every kick drum beat and fingers pointed while shouting every lyric. Drawing largely from seminal album Reinventing Axl Rose and recent release New Wave, the wealth of songs at their disposal was amazing. Every single tune was an anthem and despite the venue’s cavernous space, no band has made the Forum seem so intimate and egalitarian. Guys were jumping on backs and sneaking onstage. Bassist Andrew Seward loved it, giving them a cheeky wink as he stood centre stage, while Tom Gabel poured his guts into the mic, violently strumming his Rickenbacker and confirming his status as the Billy Bragg of the new millennium.

The gig came into its own though when Borne on the FM Waves started. It became more than a love song as the crowd sung the epic ballad. It chugged along with a soaring guitar lead, and Tom’s strangled cry of “anxiety, you give me no mercy” was echoed fervently by the audience, giving so much more meaning to the phrase. The show ended on Sink Florida Sink, and by this stage Andrew had his bass in the air and was shouting along with the crowd. He looked more like another crazed fan than a member of the band. It was a powerful end to a solid show.

The best bands aren’t just about their music, but weave multiple narratives into their story. This makes them not just a collective of musicians, but an essential part of people’s lives. Against Me! prove themselves tonight, as a band who have successfully grown from their folk-punk, Laundromat-playing beginnings into the tour de force they are now.

They are captivating (if occasionally histrionic) performers who have clearly picked up a few tips from their Foo Fighters tour, becoming storytellers for a passionate and anxious generation.