Alter Bridge
 
                             @
 
                 London Astoria

Perhaps the legendary Astoria is a little on the small side to hold such a popular and successful band as Alter Bridge. Indeed, people are still being admitted into the venue at 7.40pm; five minutes before Alter Bridge are due to hit the stage. Inside, there are people teetering off the edges on the balconies and pressed right up against the barriers at the front. This is a gig that has clearly been hotly anticipated for months.

The band entered the stage to deafening cheers and chants and blasted into material from their latest release ‘Blackbird’, the crowd lapping up everything they did. However it seemed that there were a few sound problems blighting the tight and heavy attack of Alter Bridge too, namely the mixing was pretty poor. This is testament to the fact that there were too many people in the venue and that Alter Bridge need the absolute best venues and the absolute best technicians to help them execute their multi platinum selling sound. Besides that, they still pulled off a crowd pleasing set with regular chants of “Alter Bridge” in between songs and everyone in the crowd marvelling at the range and emotion in Myles Kennedy’s voice and Mark Tremonti’s guitar wizardry. In fact it is also worth mentioning that Myles Kennedy is no slouch on the guitar either and regularly solos and harmonises with Tremonti’s widdly lines. This has clearly brought them into their own and moved them away from the now obsolete Creed. Alter Bridge are heavier, bluesier and more sincere and should go from strength to strength in their career. This was reflected in the crowds loving reception to them even in spite of the shortcomings in the sound quality. Suffice to say, Alter Bridge will be back in November at the Brixton Academy which I’m sure will house them better and will show their epic sound in its true form. All hail the grandest American rock!

 
Review by Liam McLaughlin