Feeder - Nottingham Rock City Live Review

Feeder live review of their gig at Nottingham Rock City on October 27th 2008.

Often derided as being possibly the least "cool" band on the planet, what Feeder lack in trend setting points they more than make up for in playing live in the flesh. Indeed, we should be grateful that they're here at all, the horror of their tour bus exploding on the M62 just 48 hours earlier still fresh in the memory. We could harp on about Feeder being a band whose whole career has been dogged by trauma and misfortune but instead it seems more appropriate to concentrate on the highlights of their decade-and-a-half long existence, not to mention just how many instantly recognisable and downright infectious tunes they possess in their armoury.

Now swelled to a five-piece for the live shows, second guitarist Dean Tidey in particular adding an extra dimension to their sound, Feeder are one of those bands who seem comfortable in a setting such as this, despite the odd dalliance with arena-sized venues at the turn of the decade. If anything, recent album 'Silent Cry' was their two-fingered salute to their critics, its sound owing more to their earliest recordings than anything they've done post-millennium, or as some diehard fans put it, post Jon Lee.

Oddly enough, although tonight's show - the whole tour in fact - is meant to be in support of the album, no more than a handful of tracks from 'Silent Cry' appear in tonight's setlist. What we get instead is an enthusiastic trawl through their entire back catalogue that simply emphasises the positive impact Feeder have had since their conception. One could even call them the ultimate outsider's band, as the fact they've been written off so many times only to bounce straight back, not to mention having one of the most loyal fan base's in modern rock - possibly only the Manic Street Preachers can claim to have a more fervent following - is testament to the reputation they've built up.

'Feeling A Moment' and 'Just The Way I'm Feeling' still resonate with an anthemic quality even the likes of U2 would salute, while 'Insomnia' and 'Seven Days In The Sun' prove British rock can mix loud guitars with pop choruses and still sound fresh and exciting. Closing with what has become their signature tune of recent times, 'Just A Day', the fact Grant Nicholas doesn't need to play guitar let alone sing the words - the rest of the room are doing a good enough job at either, riff and all, thanks - tells its own story.

Everybody loves an underdog, and Feeder typify that description to the bitter end. Dynamic.

4/5

Dom Gourlay