GLASSJAW At O2 Academy Brixton [Review & Photo Gallery]

Glassjaw

Back in the 2000’s Glassjaw were one of my favourite go-to bands, but for different reasons like tour cancellations and personal reasons, I never made it to a gig.  So when I had the opportunity to get access to an iconic venue with this iconic band I could not miss it.

O2 Academy Brixton

I got to the O2 Academy Brixton and the place wasn’t full of people. I noticed on the run up to the gig a lot of people selling their tickets for less, so I was worried there wasn’t gonna be a big turn out. The venue holds 5000+ (don’t quote me on that – it’s a guesstimate). As kickoff time for supporting act Palm Reader got closer, the venue soon started filling up – and rightfully so, as you would not want to miss this band.

Palm Reader

Palm Reader kicked off their 30-minute set with so much energy. They looked at home on this huge stage. I’ve seen Palm Reader a few times live and they never disappoint.  Vocalist Josh McKeown spits out aggressive vocals throughout the performance and the huge breakdowns this hardcore band has in their repertoire will get you moving. I have to say my favourite member is bass player Josh Redrup. This guy just has so much energy, and even if they played for two hours, it would not be enough to knacker him out. I would like to make Metal Nexus readers aware that their latest LP ‘Braille’ needs to be on your shopping list.

Palm Reader

As I said, I’ve never managed to catch Glassjaw live before, but damn was it worth the wait. Daryl Palumbo’s vocals on this night were so on point. He strode around the stage for the hour and a bit they played as if it was his own. The rest of the band members didn’t really do much apart from play the songs. They are not as energetic as most bands but the musicians behind Daryl’s vocals played every tune perfectly, in my opinion.

Glassjaw

The overall sound in the venue didn’t seem great. I’m not sure whose fault this was but I’m sure it wasn’t down to Glassjaw. They played a few tunes from their ‘Worship and Tribute’ album and from ‘Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence,’ but played more from the latest offering ‘Material Control’.  I would say after not releasing an album for some years ‘Material Control’ is not as promising but has some great tracks. The hardcore fans at the show were singing along all night. On a few occasions, they were so loud that they even drowned Daryl out. All in all it was a great performance and I look forward to checking them out again in the future.