Photo: Facebook/The Used
Camden Town is sitting pretty; as The Marmozets get set to play only a few doors down from The Used’s sold out show at London’s Koko. With their younger counterparts already shaking the metal industry by its horns and commanding attention, whether they know it or not, The Used actually have a lot to live up to tonight.
Opening with ‘Cry’ lead singer Bert McCracken wastes no time in splurging into an emotional rendition of the hit, while the audience seem completely overwhelmed to welcome back the Utah hailing rockers to English soil.
Following with ‘Take It Away’ and ‘The Bird and the Worm’ the band seamlessly dip through arguably some of their best hits early on, as their years on the road are reflected and put to the test by their precision and passion still shining through within every melodic execution.
“Put your hands up if you’ve seen us before,” commands McCracken to a sea of waving fists and cheers. The truth is, The Used very rarely make it across the pond to the UK, so it’s no wonder that tonight’s show is filled with die-hard fans who are here to prove they’ve been a part of the band’s history one way or another.
McCracken later announces a few tracks into the set: “We’ve been a band for 15 fucking years and we’ve seen a lot of bands come and go because they become so obsessed with this image of being a rock-star. But the last person who thought they were a rockstar died a long time ago – his name was Kurt Cobain.”
As McCracken’s vocal lecture continues the crowd also begins to wane slightly, as between almost every track there’s a speech or some sort of plan to ensure all eyes and ears are on him at all times. After a while the chatting becomes repetitive and you can sense that even though the crowd clearly and deeply respect the frontman, all they really want is for The Used to play a god damn song already.
Things slowly begin to pick back up for ‘All That I’ve Got’ and ‘The Best of Me,’ as the audience are pleased for an excuse to sing along with the expressive lyrics. However by this point, after the endless stopping and starting of the show there’s a sense that maybe, just maybe, we would have been better entertained down the road with exciting newcomers The Marmozets.
There’s no denying The Used have the years behind them, to ensure songs are honed in with precision, but they still have a long way to go in terms of keeping the spark alive throughout a performance. But it looks like the fans are willing to forgive, as they continue to sing alongside the band well into the end of the night.
