GIG REVIEWS
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GIG REVIEWS |
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Elliot Minor
@ Leeds Met Student Union 5.04.08 www.vanguard-online.co.uk Elliot Minor surprise me at this show – unlike every other band I, personally, have ever seen, they don’t keep their eager audience waiting. Then again, we did have to wait an extra half hour outside due to “delays” in the sound checks. When we get in, however, it’s literally five minutes before our first support band, Furthest Drive Home, take to the stage. Ten minutes separate the end of their set and the start of The Higher (who are excellent, by the way). It’s a mere fifteen minutes after them before Elliot Minor begin to make their (elaborate) entrance. Since The Higher left the stage, we’ve been listening to a variety of songs over the speakers, including Simple Plan’s new single. Elliot Minor and Simple Plan have a close relationship since the latter supported the Canadian pop punks on their recent tour. The music fades and is replaced with a classical sound – The Hall Of The Mountain King echoes around the venue, gradually gaining speed and building to an imminent climax when Elliot Minor burst on to the stage to gratuitous applause and high pitched screams, the stage lights going mad and blinding half the audience. They open with an unfamiliar, minor version of “Still Figuring Out”, one of their most upbeat songs slowed to a strange, mysterious melody. It takes most of the teenage audience (including myself) quite a significant amount of time to realise what it is. When they do, the very front of the crowd explodes in a flurry of frantic movement. Some dance, some jump and the remainder simply throw themselves wildly around. The music can barely be heard beneath the squeals. Elliot Minor certainly attract an enthusiastic fan base. The set continues at a mad pace for the next twenty or so minutes, the band fitting in as many songs as possible before pausing to speak to their audience. Alex, (Davies, vocals/guitar), apologises repeatedly for his poor vocal standard due to a throat infection. To be honest, though, he sounds excellent. His voice is strangely adolescent and doesn’t seem to have suffered much from his illness, although he uses it as an excuse to have the crowd sing large sections of the best known songs like “Jessica”. Ed (Minton, vocals/guitar) delivers stunning harmonies and when he takes the melody, Alex adapts to the harmony below. There’s plenty of crowd interaction although nothing too witty and memorable. At one stage, however, Alex tells everyone how he’s chosen his hooded top especially for the Leeds show – he goes on to make the mistake of revealing that he’s wearing only a vest underneath. Ed at once suggests that he removes it. A crowd wide cry of “Take it off! Take it off!” ensues. Alex’s reluctance lasts for all of two songs and then his trim torso is uncovered. I think I actually saw several of the girls at the front literally swoon. Happy little fangirls all round. They end the show (the first time round) with little theatrics, which really gives the game away that they’ll soon be returning to the stage. From the elaborate entrance and the perhaps slightly overdone lighting, it’s easy to see that the York lads aren’t ones to miss an opportunity for drama. The lights dim and the band walk off the stage silently. None of the audience move but start an immediate, repetitive chant, “Minor! Minor!” As predicted, it’s not long before they’re back to play not one song for their encore, but three. The last song of the night is anticipated as it’s the one song that every member of the audience knows they simply have to play, and they haven’t yet. You think the girls at the front who’ve been jumping non-stop since the show’s start would have run out of energy by the time the instantly recognisable introductory riffs of Parallel Worlds escape from the stage. Apparently not. This last song is the most heated and intense of them all as Alex orders the crowd to sing the chorus over and over and they do so willingly, hanging on to his every word. I don’t have time to stick around and see what happens next. A small section of the audience has already left, aiming to avoid the crush when the bulk of fans all try to fit through the exit at once. I’m sure, though, if I’d have stayed to watch, I would have witnessed Elliot Minor re-enter the room on the audience’s level, ready to sign anything thrust at them and have their pictures taken with excitable teenagers. That’s just the kind of band they are. Needless to say, everyone at the gig tonight has had a hell of a time. Elliot Minor have grown and developed into something deeper than an almost-pop boy band. Their music has another layer to it, subtle and beautiful, the additions of cellos and violins (which they do play in the live shows) bringing a whole new meaning to their identity. And if they’ve grown this much already, think how far they have the potential to go. |