Therapy?
Southampton, Mo’Club 11/04/14
Has it really been twenty years since Therapy? released the amazing album “Troublegum”? Apparently is has and now they’re on tour playing the album in its entirety. Sounds pretty good to me!
I was lucky enough to catch them twice on this tour as I got a last minute ticket to their London show, but this, the last night of their tour, sees them taking in Southampton.
We arrived just before 9pm, missing the support band, Lonely The Brave and managed to get a very decent position, right near the front, to the left of the stage and awaited the forthcoming classics.
Therapy? really burst into the mainstream thanks to “Teethegrinder” a track from their debut full length album, “Nurse”. But, it would be this album, “Troublegum” that really defined them and gave them commercial success. Spawning hit singles and selling in excess of a million copies worldwide. I’d heard that in subsequent years, Andy Cairns (Therapy? front man) preferring to get audience members to sing the tunes rather than not playing them. But now they’re celebrating a classic album, twenty years later.
A very healthy sized venue was definitely packed and it’s always nice not to feel like the oldest person at a show these days as the lights dimmed and what followed was 50 minutes of sheer nostalgic awesomeness.
The heavy riffs kicked in right away with “Knives” and Cairns, bassist Michael McKeegan and drummer Neil Cooper literally showed how good this band is. The album was played in order, meaning my favourite song “Screamager” came in second and by this time, not just me but most of the crowd where well away, singing along like it was 1994 all over again. The classic just followed one after another, “Hellbelly”, “Die Laughing”, “Nowhere”, “Trigger Inside”, “Lunacy Booth”, “Turn” and closing out with “Brainsaw”.
14 tracks of razor sharp metal punk anthems performed and enjoyed by all. What also came across was that the band seemed to be enjoying this tour, smiling throughout, applauding the crowd and appreciate of those that got them there all those years ago.
Their set was quite simply amazing and this was before the second part!
Kicking part two off with “Evil Elvis”, the crowd were treated to even more classics. Including b-sdies from the “Shortsharpshock E.P.” like “Auto Surgery” and “Totally Random Man”. Add in tracks like “Misery”, “Speedball”, “Opal Mantra” and of course “Teethgrinder”, proving how many great tunes Therapy? have. Then the Judas Priest cover of “Breaking The Law” before closing up with another absolute belter of a tune, “Potato Junkie”, which saw a few hundred people singing along with “James Joyce is fucking my Sister”.
With their stupidly infectious riffs, heavy guitars, poundingly aggressive bass, Therapy? absolutely kicked ass tonight! Proving that “Troublgeum” was not only amazing 20 years ago, it’s still so much better than most of the music out there today. 1994 may well be remembered for its Brit-pop and of course Oasis releasing “Definitely Maybe” – but that unoriginal album is not even a patch on “Troublegum”. An album that quite honestly is an essential in everyone’s collection!
Mr. T
http://www.therapyquestionmark.co.uk/
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