{"id":2293,"date":"2011-11-08T22:31:46","date_gmt":"2011-11-08T22:31:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sunpig.com\/mt-entry-2293.html"},"modified":"2011-11-09T08:26:36","modified_gmt":"2011-11-09T08:26:36","slug":"there-was-a-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sunpig.com\/martin\/2011\/11\/08\/there-was-a-way\/","title":{"rendered":"There Was A Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in June I wrote that Hey Everyone<\/i> by Dananananayroyd was one of my favourite albums of 2010<\/a> (it was released in 2009, but I’m slow like that). This was after<\/em> I’d listened to their second album, There Is A Way<\/i><\/a>, but before<\/em> I’d seen them live in Paradiso in July<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a>I remember being unsure about There Is A Way<\/i> when I first listened to it, even though that seems inconceivable now: it is nothing short of brilliant. Like Hey Everyone<\/i>, the first thing that strikes you are the screamed vocals. Underlying the back-and-forth yelling, though, are a set of songs that are intricately melodic and cleverly structured. The energy the band brings is more under control, with fewer tracks like “Infinity Milk” and “Some Dresses” that bounce off off the furniture in all directions like a hyperactive toddler. But when they do<\/em> let themselves go, they positively soar<\/em>. The climactic “Make A Fist” that closes the album is exhausting and ecstatic: an orgasm of a track.<\/p>\n

But seeing them live was something else entirely. On 19th July, they played the small upstairs room at Paradiso in Amsterdam, and I have never seen anything like it. It was far from a capacity crowd, and I was right up at the front. They opened with “Reboot” from the new album, which has an instrumental intro lasting about a minute and a half. During the intro, the two singers John and Callum jumped down off the stage and mingled through the bemused audience giving hugs, and treating us all like best friends they hadn’t seen for years. And when they were done, they hauled themselves back up onto stage and belted out one of the best live sets I have ever seen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dananananaykroyd have two settings: off, and FUCK YEAH!<\/em><\/strong> The energy they put out was amazing. There is no barrier between the audience and the stage at Paradiso, and throughout the set they continued to jump in and out of the crowd for particularly animated screaming duels (“The Greater The Symbol And The Hash”) and guitar solos, or because they just felt like it. They looked like they were having a great time, and even though the audience was pretty small and relatively timid, they just kept on firing at top volume and top speed. And then there was the Wall Of Cuddles<\/i>…<\/p>\n

The Wall Of Cuddles<\/i> is what Dananananayroyd does instead of a metal Wall of Death<\/a>. About half-way through “Some Dresses” they split up the crowd into two halves, and explain how on the count of four both sides should run headlong into each other and…cuddle as many strangers as they can<\/a>. Because this happens at the end of the gig, everyone is all nice and sweaty and happy and ready go go along with whatever weird instructions they get. I still saw some tentative looks and “er, really?” expressions, but I certainly rushed into it with abandon.<\/p>\n

After it was over, I emerged into the Amsterdam evening, my ears ringing, a huge grin on my face, aware that I had just experienced something really special.<\/p>\n

\"Tweet:<\/a><\/p>\n

I wanted more.<\/p>\n

I knew they were playing some more dates in the UK at the end of their tour, and I had been wondering if I could justify a trip across to see them. My rule of live music is, “Never miss an opportunity to see your favourite band, because you never know when they will split up, or die.”<\/strong> Cases in point:<\/p>\n