Dust Coda / Daxx & Roxane / Straight For The Sun
O2 Academy 3, Birmingham, 25/9/19
Live review by; DeeDee
Arriving early in Birmingham, it was over to the pub first, with those lovable Swiss guys Daxx and Roxane, for burgers and a swift half. The show tonight is in the smaller Academy 3 at the O2, but there is ample room, a decent stage and a generous bar.
The 5 young members of STRAIGHT FOR THE SUN, are on stage first and ‘Unbound’ from the EP ‘No Tomorrow’, gets the evening underway. Heavy and full of lead filled riffs, it’s a strong opener. Callum Green has been vocalist with them for 2 years now, his energy and interaction with the fans up front, gives SFTS an advantage over a lot of alternative metal bands, who lack the same kind of connection with the audience. ’Sirens’ has a more deep and heartfelt line of attack, backed by the two guitars of Pauly Barter and Tom Haywood, it stops you in your tracks. It’s wonderful to see the kids moshing and wearing old band T-Shirts, thankfully another generation of rock fans beckon. With a short set it is often over before you have chance to take it in, however after finishing on ‘Villains’ with finely paced bass from Oz Jackson and Jamie Human, remaining constant on drums, it is evident that the Birmingham band have a dedicated following and are destined to reach higher ground. I liked these guys when I first saw them recently at the HRH Highway To Hell final in Sheffield. I thought they deserved to be in the top 3, but to reach the last hurdle was a triumph anyway. With influences listed as Bring Me The Horizon and Rise Against, you get the message.
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DAXX AND ROXANE are resident in London these days. The four from Switzerland, are fast becoming favourites on the UK circuit however and their set at HRH Sleaze in August was truly fantastic. Tonight they have 40 minutes to impress the somewhat sparse crowd. ’Sugar Rush’ is a fast rocking number to hit the O2 with, with added harmonica from rhythm guitarist Simon Golaz and Cal Wymann slapping his guitar in what looks like sheer enthusiasm. That’s what Dax & Roxane bring to each and every performance, total dedication and a driving thirst to entertain.
‘Girl Next Door’ with its fabulous hook and ’Ticket To Rock’ from the latter named 2017 debut album, allow vocalist and bass player Cédric Pfister to make his mark. Having a wide range, he can scream at high pitch and then hit the lower levels in an instant, which make D&R songs much richer sounding.
The new single ‘Interstellar’ features Deep Purples' Don Airey, although he’s not here tonight, their live version really does bite. Luca Senaldi is superb on drums and there is some stunning guitar from Cal, who can play at any angle, as his stage antics prove. ‘Lust & Love’ brings us to a blues induced interlude and again Cédric is in his element, it has quite a sensual feel to it. A cover of Stevie Wonders ’Superstition’, brings us back to rocking ways.
Two more from ’Ticket To Rock’ being ‘Good Vibes’ and the excellent punching sing along ’Wrongside’ end the set.
Great stuff, see them on the road in October with Doomsday Outlaw.
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Headlining are THE DUST CODA this London outfit formed in 2015 and are a hard rocking, no frills kind of band. Tonight they play many off the debut self titled album that was released in 2017. I like the introduction, Tony Ho, takes to the deck to draw us in, with a bass solo. As the other members join him to play ‘All I Got’, the momentum quickens and John Drake, cranks it up with his God like vocals.
‘Rock n Roll’ has a dirty riff that gets the heads nodding. ’Breakdown’ is an awesome song, Drake is powerful and unrelenting as a singer, turning the dial right up on the new single. With more pace on songs like ‘Down In The Valley’ and ‘Save Me’ The Dust Coda perform fast and furiously, taking no prisoners tonight. Scott Miller on sticks has to be mentioned at this point, a perfect lead into a few bars of The Doors’ ‘LA Woman’ which is one of my favourite songs. Then they perform the incredible ’Nobody Now’ with its faint echos of Zep’s ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’. This has to be one of the most beautiful ballads ever, Drake sings his heart out while the intensity fills the O2 air.
Back to the rocking normality during ‘When The Tide Comes In’ with its infectious ‘Whoa, Whoa’ chorus. Again the vocals are high and clear, backed by guitarist Adam Mackie’s potent strumming, this number and the following ‘Sweet Love Is Gone’, define how many differing styles this band have to offer. ‘The More It Fades’ and Best Believe It’ make a great finale. Love the attitude from The Dust Coda, they are really a hard driving bunch and marvellous to watch.
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So all in all a brilliant nights entertainment, 3 bands who differed in style somewhat, but managed to hold my attention throughout. All genuine guys, who took time out to meet their fans and have loads of photos taken, no egos and no divas in the room.
