Feeder is one of those bands that evokes a certain time in the lives of many of their long-time fans: the long summers spent listening to Buck Rodgers and just a day, Humming High while you were out with your friends.
The collected 30 and 40s somethings at the impromptu Portsmouth flannel convention were certainly seeking the sounds of their youth as Feeder took to the stage on a miserably March evening. 90 minutes to forget the regrettable marriage, the inevitable divorce, the school runs, and the monotonous 9-5.
However, before they could listen to the sounds of the past, they were treated to the sound of the future from support act Crystal Tides.
The upbeat pop-tinged rock, blended with driving guitars, catchy choruses, and superb hooks, coupled with lead singer Billy Gregory’s playful vocals, charm, and the band’s boundless energy, makes me think that they will certainly be one of those. I saw them when they supported… stories in a couple of years.
The local lads did their damnedest to rev the crowd up, a rock intro of the 20th Century Fox theme, plenty of banter, attempts at singalongs, the lot. Gregory even asked the crowd “Are you there?” at one point/ Nothing short of a Mr Brightside cover seemed to get through.
They were there for one reason alone: to feel like the 20-somethings on the stage again. Only one band could do that: Feeder.
However, taking to the stage, Feeder was there to promote their latest record, the upcoming double album Black/Red, and nothing was going to stop them, not even an audience that wanted them to play the hits.
Launching straight into ELF, it did not have the effect they were hoping for, and despite their later records being really damn good, it felt like a battle for the band who wanted to play a balanced set of bangers from their entire oeuvre instead of just ‘the hits.’
In fact, you could almost time the rush to the bar based on what era the next track was from. Anything past, say, 2007, and it was time for a beer.
Halfway through their main set, just before launching into Just a Feeling, frontman Grant Nicholas asked the audience if they were all right as they seemed really reserved.
After this talking to the crowd seemed to loosen up a bit, but something still didn’t quite feel right.
After raging through the heaviest track they’ve released in years, the incredible Playing With Fire. It seems that the penny may have dropped because as they started playing Universe Of Life, they suddenly stopped and launched into Tangerine from their 97 debut Polythene instead, and the place erupted.
Their decision to placate the ‘proper old school Feeder town’ paid off and then some, with a seriously old school sing-along, complete with lighters and chanting that continued even after the band had finished their first major hit High. It hit differently, and you could tell the band could feel it too.
Rounding out the proper old-school Feeder, the band ended the main set with one more classic Polythne track, Perfect Day.
However, the crowd still ached for a couple of tracks and instead were teased with with the screeching bagpipes and souring guitars of Bass player Taka Hirose’s favourite track, Soldiers of Love.
Then, the opening notes started to play from a song about someone buying a brand new car that looks like a Jaguar, and the roof was blown off the place. The Pit finally erupted, cats and dogs living together, mass hysteria, Ending the evening with the forever anthemic Just A Day.
Leaving on a high (with their friends), the audience returned to the rainy Pomepy streets, but for just a day, Just a few hours, they could forget about the rain, the kids, and the doldrums of middle age.
