Page 47 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 103

BV103 pg47_BV103 pg47 23/12/2019 18:34 Page 1

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MARIANAS TRENCH / DIRTY RADIO – BIRMINGHAM O2 INSTITUTE 2, 10.11.19
Armed with ‘Phantoms’, their fifth studio album, Canadian pop rockers comes upfront for ‘Fallout’ and shows off exactly why they decided to add
Marianas Trench return to the UK to give this side of the ocean some Sus- him to their band with an exceptional guitar solo at the end of the song.
pending Gravity Tour-love. With DJ George Thoms and DiRTY RADiO The band don’t do a big encore where fans have to wait and call for them
opening, from Toronto and Vancouver respectively, it’s a real Canadian to return, and instead keep the pace going with ‘Who Do You Love’ before
takeover. DJ George Thoms warms things up with a mish-mash of rock final number, the spellbinding ‘The Killing Kind’ from ‘Phantoms’, which
and pop hits before DiRTY RADiO introduce us to some electronic dance, ends the show with the theatrical sound that it started with, with Josh walk-
R&B and pop. They’re quite unique, especially when playing the drums ing around the stage with a walking stick stage prop and the end of the
and percussion instrumentally. song blossoming into a gloriously magical, rock opera vibe. While new
But it’s been two and a half years since Marianas Trench were last in album ‘Phantoms’ is themed on being haunted by a former love, after this
the UK and the room can’t wait for the band to get on stage. And with show we may well be haunted by Marianas Trench and the need to see
‘Phantoms’ being the new album, the band waste no time in showcasing them again – until they return to the UK. Let’s hope it’s soon.
tunes from it. Album intro ‘Eleonora’ sets the scene, with the members YYYYY
singing acapella before the dancey ‘Only The Lonely Survive’ really kicks Shari Black Velvet
things off, closely followed by ‘Echoes Of You’, an epic, multi-faceted opus.
The theatrical-inspired four-piece then take things back to 2011 for catchy Josh Ramsay (Marianas Trench) Photo By Shari Black Velvet
fan favourite ‘Stutter’ before the chirpy ‘Here’s To The Zeros’ pops up. It’s
songs like these that put a spring
in your step or a bounce in your
dance.
While we don’t get the big
show that Canada/USA do due
to the venue size being smaller
on this side of the pond, we get
a more back-to-basics, intimate
show. The band still make things
special with frontman Josh Ram-
say heading into the crowd dur-
ing ‘Pop 101’ and starting
‘Haven’t Had Enough’ whilst sur-
rounded by the audience.
The very first song Josh
wrote for new album ‘Phantoms’,
‘Glimmer’, is performed and
sounds gorgeously heart-melting,
while ‘All To Myself’ is another old
favourite that you welcome with
open arms. The crowd sings
along loudly to every song in the
set and no doubt makes the band
feel at home. ‘Don’t Miss Me?’
brings a softer poppiness and
sees Josh impressing with his
well-trained high vocal notes,
while the band’s harmonies in
‘Celebrity Status’ show that every
member of the band is super-tal-
ented. Marianas Trench’s addi-
tional touring guitarist/keyboardist
Royce Whittaker is introduced and

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