Page 49 - Black Velvet Issue 97

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MALLORY KNOX / DEAD! / JUDAS - BIRMINGHAM MAMA ROUX'S, 24.04.18
Mallory Knox have had a rough start of late. On Valentine's Day, their original lead singer Mikey Chapman announced that he'd left the group.
Rather than lie down and call it quits, the band instead announced this tour on the very same day. At tonight's packed gig there's an intense feeling of
anticipation and everybody present knows this is a huge test for the band, especially for new lead singer and long-time bassist Sam Douglas.
Kick-starting the show are four-piece indie rockers Judas, who rattle through their set, stopping only to whip up the crowd and to ask for updates
on the Liverpool match (lead singer John Clancy hails from Liverpool) that is also on this evening. The band have an impressive indie rock sound
that’s powered with big hooks, not unlike a more youthful U2 or Kings Of Leon. It isn't long before the initially reluctant crowd starts bouncing along to
the soaring anthemic melodies of 'Some People', 'Big Mouth', Rescue Me' and 'Ceasefire'. Even a technical lighting hitch, which sees the band in the
dark, doesn’t deter the foursome. All too soon their energetic set is over. And Liverpool eventually win their match 5-2.
Dead! put on a blistering set that blows the roof off Mama Roux's, tonight's venue. Originally from the Isle of Wight, Dead! have made a name for
themselves over the past four years by touring relentlessly around the UK and Europe, giving every last bit of themselves to their performances. With
enough energy to power Birmingham for a week, Dead! uncompromisingly barrel through their set with tracks including 'Jessica', 'Up For Ran$om',
'You're So Cheap' and the title track of their recent debut album, 'The Golden Age Of Not Even Trying', with frontman Alex Mountford's searing vocals
burning through on each song. If this is
Dead! 'not even trying', we can't wait to
catch them on a night when they are.
Their barrage of alt-punk flavoured rock
left the crowd chanting "one more song".
Surely big things lie ahead for these ex-
tremely talented guys. A real band to
watch out for.
A mere 70 days after losing their for-
mer frontman, Mallory Knox take to the
stage amid a nervous crackle of antici-
pation and receive a phenomenal recep-
tion from the packed room. They kick off
with the recently released 'Black Holes',
their first song as a four-piece and a
clear statement of intent that they're
looking ahead and not back. It's good to
see the guys look genuinely pleased to
be here throughout the set, which Sam
backs up by saying, "A few months ago
we didn't know if we'd get to do this
again, thank you for supporting us".
Sam does an impressive job on lead
vocals. He seems a little apologetic at
times, at one point even saying, "I'll get
used to this singing shit, I promise". This
is the seventh night of their tour and he
admits to feeling the vocal strain. But the
crowd are having none of it, with the
biggest cheer of the night coming not for
a song but at the announcement that the
band signed a new record deal last
week. With the number of new songs
performed tonight - three in a 13-song
set - it's clear the band have been writing
new material for some time. But their
back catalogue is well serviced too, with
tracks including 'Keeping Secrets', 'Light-
house', Ghost In The Mirror' and 'Better
Off Without You', the latter which Sam
precedes by telling the crowd he’s had
anxiety all day. ‘Better Off Without You’
is a song Sam wrote after being pre-
scribed medication, and his honesty and
bravery in opening up is applauded.
And with these moments of
vulnerability, the crowd are totally behind
Mallory Knox. In a venue small enough
to be called intimate, the band put on a
confident but deeply emotional and per-
sonal show. Sam's parents are even
here to see their son take his place at the
front of the band (he dedicates ‘Mother’
to them). The relatively short set is also
free of an encore, but as a first step to-
wards the future of the band it is essen-
tially faultless, and anybody walking out
of this gig tonight would have felt like
they'd been well and truly welcomed into
the Mallory Knox family.
YYYY
Dan Morris
Sam Douglas (Mallory Knox) Photo By
Shari Black Velvet

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