Photo: Chris Chadwick
In the à la carte iTunes era, the album is under threat. LPs are, of course, the punctuation of an artist’s career and a musician’s impact on music was, until recently, gauged by these bodies of work. To fans, albums mean so much more. They punctuate our lives – they are epochal. They characterise our relationship with the artists and music we love.
The Used are paying homage to the album with their 15th anniversary tour. They are playing two nights per city, showcasing their first two albums in full. Tonight sees the Utah natives play their self-titled debut to a packed O2 Forum.
There's something innately satisfying about an album's running order. The way the songs fit together. There are no words needed as the band launch straight into album opener 'Maybe Memories'. It's hard to hear them over the noise of the crowd.
"I want everyone to stand up - this isn't a polo match, it's a rock concert", shouts frontman Bert McCracken. "I want you to be enthusiastic and child-like tonight – it's rare not to be judged". He's speaking for everyone when he sings: "I'll savour every moment of this" during the chorus of debut single 'Taste Of Ink'.
'Screamo', 'emo' or whatever you want to call it, gets a bad rap. It's not all straightened fringes and guy-liner. On the surface, 'Bulimic' always seemed like a darker track - McCracken nods to as much, saying: "this song's about puking up blood". But the song's positive message is evident when the whole crowd bellows: "I'm about to do all of the things I've dreamed of and I don't even miss you at all”.
Set highlights include singles 'Buried Myself Alive' and 'Blue And Yellow' – we’re reminded just how many gems there are in this album.
McCracken is talking a lot tonight - you can tell what it means to him. He announces he has one more thing to say – he's now four years sober. Penultimate track, 'On My Own', is perhaps the most emotional of the night – the ovation even more so.
For many in attendance, the evening is a slice of nostalgia, tinged with teenage angst and a fondness for more youthful times. For others, it's a chance to hear The Used at their very best, when they first burst onto the scene in 2001. But for both sets of fans, it's a reminder that albums – and everything they stand for – still matter.
