The last time And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead graced Glasgow with their presence it was on one glorious day in Spring 2011. Both performance and atmosphere back then were electric – pent up by a raucous Rival Schools (of ‘Used for Glue fame’) support slot.
This time round was an altogether different affair. Let down by the venue’s acoustics the band fought for the admiration of those present, to the point that Jason Reece felt it necessary to drive his Gretsch into the staging before vocalist Conrad Keely presented the neck to any takers in the audience.
The performance though remained consistent with what we have come to expect from the Austin four-piece. Opening with the choir led ‘Ode to Isis’ the outfit meandered between old and new material, showcasing much of their latest Lost Songs album.
…Trail of Dead have always displayed such extreme dynamics in their writing that can see an ethereal instrumental bleed effortlessly into something far more reserved and poignant, before being raised again in to something resembling hardcore punk. Such variety and freshness remains and special attribute of the bands live shows.
It’s not until ‘Will You Smile Again For Me?’ that the audience really start to engage with the band as the marching bass on drum section is aided by the screaming accompaniment of those present.
The band will be pleased with the reaction to their new material but the unsurprising highlight of the show came in the shape of 2005 release ‘Caterwaul’; a track as driving and emotive as it is effortlessly catchy.