Live music makes me emotional, it always has done, but with a band like 'No Devotion' it's hard not to get emotional. For those of you that don't know the back story, here is a very, very brief write up, the band is comprised of the remaining 5 ex members of Lostprophets and Geoff Rickly, formerly of Thursday.
Lostprophets disbanded last October after the arrest of their front man, Ian Watkins. For the remaining members, having to deal with the pain and betrayal of the reasons behind the disbanding was one thing, but their entire legacy was wiped away in an instant.
Last week, at the O2 Academy in Islington, the venue was packed solid, even after hearing only 2 songs! Downstairs was crammed with eager fans, whilst the entire upstairs had been cordoned off for the boys 100 plus guestlist of friends and family. It was such a wonderful feeling to see everyone together, emotions ran high all night.
It's hard to imagine how terrifying it must be to venture back into the music world, wondering if they will be reaccepted after everything that happened. These boys don't have to worry, there was such a strong sense of love and devotion, and every single person in the room wanted them to succeed.
Having known these guys a large portion of my life, there is no band that deserves a second chance at success as much as they do. They are such great guys, oh and the music is pretty sweet too. It is very different from anything previously released by LostProphets, and rightly so. It has a darker 80's, electro rock vibe to it. Merging the sounds of Joy Division, The Cult, The Cure, Duran Duran and a touch of White Lies. It's definitely up my alley.
Geoff fits into the group perfectly and is a gracious and charismatic front man. Toward the end of the set he told the crowd 'You guys are probably here because you were fans of these boys before....' the crowd cheered 'You witnessed probably the worst break up in musical history, and this is a song that they wrote through all the pain, it's not the old band and it's not the new band'
He then walked off stage and allowed the boys to play an instrumental piece, I can tell you, that up on the guest balcony there were tears being shed left right and centre, myself included. The piece was met by roaring applause and cheers, they then closed the set with 'Stay' and a new song.
The band have been on a brief UK tour including Cardiff (which I am told was even more emotional than London) Manchester, London and Glasgow. Already filling venues with fans, desperate to hear more.
If you haven't already checked them out then you definitely should. The single 'Stay' and B-side 'Eyeshadow' are amazing, catchy and available now on iTunes ... I'm also looking forward to their next single '10,000 Summers' which had the crowd singing along despite only being heard on the radio once!
It is safe to say that these guys have come out with their heads held high and I wish my old friends all the love and success in the world.
Listen to 'Stay':