Ex Libris Records Presents... Chronicity, Future Loss & Education Education Education @ The Cumberland Arms - 21/05/10.

Education were a hot sweat of noise, deafening the audience. Their new drummer brought urgency to their music that lifted all of the songs immeasurably, and Paul Emmett's vocals were for once audible; revealing odd mantra-like lyrics and playing the ultimate art school foil to the bludgeoning guitar and bass.



Future Loss were all about the process. Gone was the momentous event of the debut gig, replaced with the sturdy reassuring feeling of being on a journey forwards now. The first half of the set was nervous, with This Is A Crash sounding particularly ropey. But after the audience was invited to stand closer to the front of the stage, something primal took over. A gritty little pearl of adrenalin and fury had to be coaxed out of the last two songs, and through a combination of well-rehearsed structures and free form thrash outs, we got there. There is freedom in walking that tightrope of control.

Brian and I are keen to start pushing the envelope now; it's reassuring to know we can play the noise card with some assurance now. The next step is counting, complexity and Chronicity. Brian visits in August to begin writing the second set of songs that will take us in this direction, ahead of our show in Belfast.

And as a side note: our rehearsal the night before the show was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had with music ever. Four guys in a room, grinding out this racket, everyone locked in to this shared experience, no longer having to struggle to remember what happens next in the songs. James in particular was much more animated and aggressive in his playing. It was glorious; after a session like that the gig was purely a bonus.











"Welcome to the rehearsal," said Chronicity front man Pete Dale as the band launched into their set. It was ragged at first, but grew with that intensity they have made their own. A large part of this was fueled by the new material; an exciting sign that the band is creatively active once more.



The night somehow managed to break even, by £3. An outstanding success considering the line up issues and lack of proper promotion. The My Attorney show in August will hopefully be less precarious during the run up.