With the release of their debut album, A Revelation For Despair, Behind Crimson Eyes have dragged their butts back on tour yet again. Having last seen BCE live over a year ago, I was excited to see how much more energy they could pack into their notorious stage show. Well, not much really. I’d like to say they exploded out onto the stage, taped up and ready to rock, but their original haphazard energy was not there. Sure, they were sporting electrical tape as a fashion statement, but these guys seemed more subdued. That’s not to say the set wasn’t blistering. It’s just that I know they’re capable of much more punch.
Front man Josh Stuart has definitely found his style. Instead of borrowing heavily in stance of hero, Greenday’s Billy Joe Armstrong, he struts his stuff with confidence without a hint of arrogance. The crowd was only too happy to raise their fists, clap, scream, flip their middle finger and shout obscenities about George W. Bush for him when commanded. Guitarist Kevin Orr made his first appearance of the evening playing with Melbourne main stayers and support act Horsell Common on their last song, the crowd pleaser You. Luke Cripps, bass player for Horsell and premium screamer, returned the vocal favour later in BCE’s set. Kevin solely disappointed me by not swinging his guitar right around his body mid-song, catching it and continuing to play – his signature move immortalised in BCE’s new music video for Shakedown. The self proclaimed ‘dancer’ of the group failed to produce even one jump. Technically, though, his guitar playing succeeded anything I’ve seen him do in the past.
The rhythm section has changed since I last saw these guys and newbie Garth Buchanan on bass may not have the ‘spaz-attack’ style of previous player Prashant. Yet his confidence and capability were evident in his laid back approach. Cameron Gilmour on drums drove the boys through at a power pace, proving the strength of the new rhythm section and opening up the band to unlimited future possibilities. Aaron Schultz and his new axe almost failed to deliver in showmanship, but at the eleventh hour he threw off the self consciousness and faced the audience with sneers and phallic gesticulation – something the sexy Jackson Randy Rhoads V demands from its player the moment it’s strapped on. The vocal harmonies from Kevin and Aaron were bang on the money, leaving me hoping we’d hear a bit more melodic rock thrown in the mix as they moved away from the emo screamo exclusivity and into further musical exploration. A subdued style may be a mature one and BCE have learned to harness their energy (perhaps in electrical tape?!) using it to play a consistent set night after night. But seriously, Kevin, I don’t care if your guitar strap had to be gaffer-taped on, or that the stage was small, that wacko swing you do should be in every show.
On the whole, BCE delivered a strong, solid musical performance, peppered with Triple J fodder, to a small crowd of loyal fans; fans so loyal they knew every word to every song even though the album had only been released three weeks ago. Disappointment only emerged due to my over-expectation of their live performance energy.
