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Review: Rise Against tear the roof off The Garage
Chicago-bred punk rock band Rise Against return to London's Garage in support of their new album.
Last Friday night, Rise Against played a hot and sweaty punk show in North London and it was everything a punk gig should be.
The four-piece from Chicago are set to release their eighth studio album Wolves this Friday and had been playing a few intimate shows in Europe last week. For the last 18 years, Rise Against have used their international reach to promote and speak out for social justice, and there sure is no silencing them now.
Support on this Friday evening comes from British punk-rock four piece Milk Teeth and they have the room boiling with excitement in no time. When 9pm comes around Tim, Joe, Brandon and Zach take the stage, and launch into their first show in London since 2014.
About their new record the band has said it “is about recognizing the power within all of us; it’s a primal call for the prey to become the hunters.” And when front man Tim tells us he had a hard time trying to resist the urge to write every single song on the album about the recently elected US President, his statement is greeted by a loudly cheering and clapping crowd.
With a set list spanning songs across all of the band’s albums it is clear that this show is a special one indeed. Tim notes that it takes true die-hard fans to be the first to score tickets to these intimate shows and so they owe it to them to play a few special songs. And special songs are a-plenty that night with the likes of Architects, Welcomne To The Breakdown or Survive. But that’s not all, a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Fortunate Son is just one of the extra special treats of the night.
During a short acoustic set, Tim dedicates 2014 track People Live Here to the victims of the Manchester attack and he dedicates their 2004 tune Swing Life Away to the late and great Chris Cornell. All this with an encore of Blood-Red, White & Blue and Saviour close out a show that will stay in the hearts of fans and band alike for a very long time.