New album doing currently well in the charts, what could these pimply nu-metalers offer a positively heaving audience of little upright pinkees in London? Priya Elangasinghe has some answers … and then some …
Something wasn’t right. In a sea of pinkies and index fingers giving the of sign of the beast, lighters were aloft and there was clapping. Fair enough, you might think. However, clapping in anticipation of the upcoming chorus? Surely not, this wasn’t a Bon Jovi concert after all. But yes, during “Outside”, one of Staind’s more contemplative songs, the heaving audience in Londons Astoria clapped and sang along to their tune of adolescent isolation.
As Stainds album debuted at number one and friends (and tonight, also members of the audience) PAPA ROACH won two awards at the Kerrang Awards, did we need any more visible sign that rock had finally gone mainstream?
Perhaps not.Ten years after Nirvana released “Nevermind”, and Grunge’s decidedly spottier and cockier younger brother, Nu-Metal has gripped the nations teens with a cultural grasp that in theory at least, echoes the loosely anarchic war-cries of punk. In practice, however its relation to its older sibling is by way of inverted commas.Thus one of the exponents of the genre, Staind sought to take the punctuation out of their music and lay it bare on the stage.
There is no doubt that Staind are a tight live band. Tonight, in between gurning his face, bassist Johnny April played off Jon Wysocki’s drums with vigour, while guitarist Mike Mushok’s moody fret work played well off Aaron Lewis’ earnest vocals. While this proved an occasionally powerful combination (like on album opener, “Open Your Eyes”, “Fade” and “For You”), there was not enough respite from the ‘rebellion by numbers’ songs.These songs were plentiful as the set proceeded, and peaked with the ghoulishly dumb “Ephiphany”. While creating the appropriate bawl of fire, there was something missing. Certainly the lack of respite from the surburban kid whine was missing. But maybe it was the creeping suspicion that, as the band moved into Limp Bizkit-lite stage poses nu-metal, like Grunge had reached its saturation point, and much of the new music is just a rehash of the old. A creation by the Dr.Frankenstein of record company bosses. In this world kids rebellion had been sponsored by Starbucks.
“Teenage angst has paid off well, now I’m bored and old” Kurt Cobain once wryly observed. Seven years on from his passing there’s still truth in his words.
see also:
http://www.staind.com
Priya Elangasinghe for Crud Magazine© 2001