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We Were Promised Jetpacks at Triple Rock Social Club
Show Poster
Jetpacks Setlist
Honeyblood Setlist
Tour Dates
03/05 – The Sinclair Cambridge, MA
Read More03/06 – Arden Gild Hall Arden, DE 03/07 – The Black Cat Washington, DC 03/08 – Webster Hall New York, NY 03/09 – The Camel Richmond, VA 03/11 – Rhythm and Brews Chattanooga, TN 03/14 – SXSW Austin, TX 03/15 – SXSW Austin, TX
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One of the greatest named bands in Scottish rock is back on the road again.
Edinburgh’s We Were Promised Jetpacks is currently bringing their headlong, sonic wall of alt-rock back to the States, in promotion of their latest release, a live album entitled E Rey-Live in Philadelphia (FatCat Records), as well as is debuting new, untitled songs from their upcoming studio album.
Opening the show was another Scottish act, Glasgow's Honeyblood, consisting of guitarist/singer Stina Tweeddale and drummer Shona McVicar. The pair rarely spoke between songs, unless it was to thank the audience for showing up early and of course, to state the obvious, "It's really cold here."
With guitar/drum duos, you may think of the White Stripes, but Honeyblood's indie/garage sound is more along the lines of Throwing Muses, Breeders, and PJ Harvey.
As seen on their setlist, the two-piece played almost all of the potential songs from their upcoming debut self-titled album (due this Spring from Fatcat Records). First single, ‘Bud’ (and its B-Side ‘Kissing on You’) and dark preview song "Choker" were standout tracks of their set.
We Were Promised Jetpacks (Adam Thompson -vocals/guitar; Michael Palmer-guitar; Sean Smith-bass, Stuart McGachan- keys/guitar; Darren Lackie- drums) then followed with a crushing, passionate 75 min. set of guitar-driven alt-rock. Beginning bravely with a new song from a studio album not due out until Sept/Oct, the bassline chugged like a tank as Thompson spit fire into the mic, with the sound nicely embellished by brand-new member McGachan on keys, on only his 5th outing.
“We’re gonna try really hard to make sure this is our best show…ever!” Thompson promised before the band charged into ‘Human Error’, his projecting voice impressive, especially since he seems to push it to its absolute limit, with every live performance.
‘Quiet Little Voices’ shook with its chorus, “Quiet little voices, monsters, and words of wisdom”, anthemic chanting, and wall-building crescendo, a fuzz technique similar to other Scottish acts like Biffy Clyro, Twilight Sad, and Glasvegas.
Another new song followed and it became apparent that the band has developed into a more refined, expansive, and fuller sound than their earlier, but no less impactful, material, with McGachan’s keys no doubt helping this. There is a great live energy to WWPJ (Thompson’s vocal strength is something to behold in person) that is well captured on the live album, but the honest emotion being at their live show, has no substitute.
‘Roll Up Your Sleeves’ did just that, as the band jumped head-first through this clap-a-long with little abandon, before the track slowed, with its “stay calm, keep warm” bridge, with Thompson emoting a foot+ away from the mic, yet still sounded loud.
‘Ships with Holes will Sink’ was done more urgently than its studio version, and the new songs, despite a slight sound shift, all fit in seamlessly alongside the tracks from their first two albums.
The band is also more prone to building longer instrumentals in concert, such as in their last untitled song that served as an encore, but it also allowed the members to stretch further and move sonically about, unhindered by the structure of a ‘normal’ 3-4 minute song.
All in all, an impressive performance, showing the lightning that some of which they were able to bottle on the recent live album, from a band that should be seen and heard live, if possible.
And, with the debut of a handful of new songs, We Were Promised Jetpacks ably whet the collective appetite for their new studio album (due this fall), to fully see how they have chosen to move forward.
Edinburgh’s We Were Promised Jetpacks is currently bringing their headlong, sonic wall of alt-rock back to the States, in promotion of their latest release, a live album entitled E Rey-Live in Philadelphia (FatCat Records), as well as is debuting new, untitled songs from their upcoming studio album.
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Honeyblood
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With guitar/drum duos, you may think of the White Stripes, but Honeyblood's indie/garage sound is more along the lines of Throwing Muses, Breeders, and PJ Harvey.
|
Honeyblood Setlist
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We Were Promised Jetpacks (Adam Thompson -vocals/guitar; Michael Palmer-guitar; Sean Smith-bass, Stuart McGachan- keys/guitar; Darren Lackie- drums) then followed with a crushing, passionate 75 min. set of guitar-driven alt-rock. Beginning bravely with a new song from a studio album not due out until Sept/Oct, the bassline chugged like a tank as Thompson spit fire into the mic, with the sound nicely embellished by brand-new member McGachan on keys, on only his 5th outing.
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Adam Thompson
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‘Quiet Little Voices’ shook with its chorus, “Quiet little voices, monsters, and words of wisdom”, anthemic chanting, and wall-building crescendo, a fuzz technique similar to other Scottish acts like Biffy Clyro, Twilight Sad, and Glasvegas.
|
We Were Promised Jetpacks
|
|
Jetpacks Setlist
|
‘Ships with Holes will Sink’ was done more urgently than its studio version, and the new songs, despite a slight sound shift, all fit in seamlessly alongside the tracks from their first two albums.
The band is also more prone to building longer instrumentals in concert, such as in their last untitled song that served as an encore, but it also allowed the members to stretch further and move sonically about, unhindered by the structure of a ‘normal’ 3-4 minute song.
All in all, an impressive performance, showing the lightning that some of which they were able to bottle on the recent live album, from a band that should be seen and heard live, if possible.
And, with the debut of a handful of new songs, We Were Promised Jetpacks ably whet the collective appetite for their new studio album (due this fall), to fully see how they have chosen to move forward.
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We Were Promised Jetpacks at Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis (28 Feb 2014) |
