Photo: Nick James Clark
Fresh from being playlisted on Radio One, Gaslight Anthem rolled in to London last night to give a sold-out Koko full of faithful fans exactly what they were after.
Gaslight Anthem have broken out of the punk scene, expanded their horizons and aimed for the big time - and it shows tonight. They sound huge. They have a great light show. Some of the gig borders on arena rock. They've even drafted in Ian Perkins (Brian Fallon's professional other half from The Horrible Crowes) to provide extra guitars.
And it all pays off. The show sounds great, Fallon has a fantastic voice, and the band have got an excellent back catalogue to fall back on.
Songs from early in their career get good responses, however, it's the tunes from The 59 Sound and American Slang that really get the crowd whipped-up. New single '45' also sounds excellent, with a hook that'll stick in your head for days - and it's clear that the band are really enjoying playing new material.
As well as a strong set of their own songs, we also get a couple of extras - a verse of Brand New's 'Jesus Christ' mixed in with 'Angry Johnny and the Radio', as well as a full cover of 'House of the Rising Sun' by The Animals.
The third guitarist means that Brian can put down his guitar and throw some frontman-shapes, which he does with a moderate degree of success. Although, when he spits his water into the air during a crescendo, the speed with which someone appears to towel-dry the stage floor is not exactly rock and roll. Health and safety first people.
To make up for it, a few songs later he launches himself off one of the balconies and into the crowd - to be met by a sea of hands who all want to ruffle his hair.
The final song of the night is a triumphant cover of The Who's 'Baba O'Reilly' and as the band wave goodbye, the lights come up and everybody is grinning from ear to ear.
Below: The Gaslight Anthem at Koko, 11/06/2012
