Two nights ago, Billy Talent restored 85,000 Germans’ faith in punk-rock, headlining Rock AM Ring alongside Limp Bizkit. Tonight they play to somewhere closer to 85 and the streets have been lined with black hoodies and cheap spirits since three. Something special lurks below...
Within seconds of the Canadians’ intimate fan show at Camden’s decrepit Underworld hellish pandemonium ensues; the stage is barraged on both flanks by paralytic strobes, the ceiling’s dripping and the few hundred rammed like buses during a tube strike throw themselves headlong into the fray, as a forest of forearms flash in the lightning-like clashes. Drawing heavily from Billy Talent II, frontman Ben Kowalewicz’s obscene shrieks and immature musings over spitting genitalia do nothing to dampen the concrete core of melody that churns out underground hit after rallying cry. A Devil In A Midnight Mass sounds gargantuan enough to dislodge the air con units that become utterly essential within minutes, The Navy Song is the most swashbuckling sea shanty a distortion pedal ever churned out and Red Flag is the sort of call to arms every county with a single BNP vote to their reputation ought take heed of. The new breed of Talent showcased on the inspirationally-titled Billy Talent III hits every reason the foursome became cult figureheads of modern punk out of the park, smashing windows in the parking lot, bizarrely reminiscent of early Rolling Stones. A rampant This Is How It Goes unleashes the blade that tore its way through a crowded scene six years ago and with tours UK shows galore over the course of the rest of the year, if they weren’t already tattooed across the hearts of every devotee in attendance tonight they sure as hell will be by now.
Billy Talent III is released in the UK on 13th July.
