More about: Dinosaur Pile Up

Hot off the back of a tour around Canada with Sum 41 and The Offspring, Dinosaur Pile-Up (somehow unexhausted by their intense touring schedule) set off on a mini tour as soon as they landed on home soil. Given the momentum in which the band have been accelerating at lately, it’s no surprise that all of the dates were sold out. 

With the underlying ethos of their latest album Celebrity Mansions one of not giving up and resisting giving in to the pressures and false pretenses of others around you, it is only fitting that Dinosaur Pile-Up's final show was going to be a party. As the trio swagger on stage to Pharoahe Monch’s 'Simon Says (Get the Fuck Up)' the room fills with electricity and it becomes instantly apparent that the band are going to play the show of a lifetime here in London.

With a set that focuses mainly on Celebrity Mansions and the 2013 release Nature Nurture, Dinosaur Pile-Up have something in store for everyone, and there are circle pits aplenty from the outset. ‘Arizona Waiting’ and ‘Peninsula’ give the crowd means to mosh around to anthems of disappointment and loss, in sheer ecstasy. It’s the complete unabashedly relatable nature of the band that makes their comeback all the more joyous to watch. As he introduces the song ‘Celebrity Mansions’, vocalist Matt Bigland explains that the song was about “having no fucking money [whilst] doing what we’re doing” - which incites a roar from the crowd.

‘Pouring Gasoline’ and ‘Black Limousine’ serve as anthems for the outsiders, a truth reflected back in a passionate screaming back of the lyrics. Matt emphasises how grateful he is to everyone who has shown up, adding that the band did not sell out the venue on their own – it is down to all the faces looking back at him. As he takes to the stage solo for a rendition of ‘Derail’ he mentions how it is “fucking intimidating being onstage with you motherfuckers”. If he finds the 1,145-capacity venue intimidating, then their April 2020 show at The Forum – which is double the size – is going to be a wild ride! 

As they say: all good things come in threes, and the stripped-back nature of ‘Derail’ only adds to the monstrous riffage in the succession of ‘My Rock ‘n’ Roll’, ‘Traynor’ and ’11:11’. The dizzying 1-2-3 noodling of both Matt and bassist Jim Cratchley’s fingers serve as an amplified assault on the senses amidst the guttural screams and ravenous shredding. After a short break for an encore in which it feels like the crowd are specifically asking for three more songs, Dinosaur Pile-Up finish their triumphant set with the emotionally charged ‘Long Way Down’, and a back to back ear-shattering in the form of ‘Thrash Metal Cassette’ and ‘Back Foot’.

It has been one hell of a year for Dinosaur Pile-Up given that Celebrity Mansions was, in their minds, almost certainly going to be their last album. Now it seems as though they’ve spurred on a whole new lease of life, and their trajectory is brighter than ever. As for that show at Kentish Town Forum – it is bound to be a sell-out! What I wanna know is, does the offer of a beer still stand for those who buy tickets!? I’ll meet you at the bar…

Dinosaur Pile-Up played:

Arizona Waiting
Stupid Heavy Metal Broken Hearted Loser Punk
Peninsula
Celebrity Mansions
Round The Bend
Pouring Gasoline
Black Limousine
White T-Shirt and Jeans
K West
Nature Nurture
Derail (Solo)
My Rock n Roll
Traynor
11:11
Long Way Down Thrash Metal Cassette
Back Foot

More about: Dinosaur Pile Up