The last time I saw Thrice, I called it a transcendental experience, and I stick by that claim. It’s hard to find a band that has had such a seismic shift in sound over the years and still managed to retain a rabid fanbase that is just as up for a good time as they were pushing 30 years ago.
Thrce’s latest set at Cardiff’s Tramshed was no exception; the crowd was ready and raring from the moment they took to the stage, prepped in no small part by a fantastic set by French trio Lysistrata, whose grungy soundscapes set the tone of the evening perfectly
Welsh audiences are, by their very nature, more vocal than the English, and from the off, you could tell the crowd was happy to keep up with Kensrue’s impressive vocal stylings.
Something that’s brought to the fore when Thrice decided to put on a set that was a marvelous mix of old and new.
Taking to the mic for the opener off their latest album, Horizons/ West Dustin Kensrue has a voice like melted butter, smooth and warming, that carries you along til the bridge hits, the crowd starts to chant “black out the moon, black out the stars…” the pit opens, the show kicks into high gear and refuses to let up.
You can tell the crowd was there for the hits, though, as the first big sing-along struck during The Artist in the Ambulance, although I get the feeling Kensrue and co aren’t as fond of it as their fans are.
What I always find incredible about seeing Thrice live is just how versatile they are sonically. Old Thrice sounds like a totally different band, and in some ways it is. New Thrice is Bluesy, Proggy, and spiritual. It takes you on a journey, you can’t help but visualise strange and distant lands. If there were bands on Arrakis, they would sound like Thrice.
While old Thrice is pure 2000s skatepunk of the highest caliber, it’s immediate, it’s frantic, and it kicks ass in a very different way.
The fact that Thrice trusted their audience to broaden their horizons (East/West) with them is a testament to how much faith they have in their own art and their fans.
Live though it’s a sight to see, Kensrue is bar none one of rock’s best vocalists, and his range is something to behold. Likewise, I was consistently blown away by Eddie Breckenridge’s bass parts. But needless to say, Thrice sounded absolutely incredible. Playing like they were barely containing the sound from their instruments, trying to tame this raw energy with every beat.
I’m sure there are sections of the audience that prefer one over the other. I can appreciate both, and I get the feeling the fans at Cardiff did too, as just as much deference was paid to the likes of Black Honey as it was to Deadbolt, which Thrice closed their show out with to rapturous cheers and absolute chaos in the pit.