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Rise, The - Carpe Diem
Carpe Diem in Leeds played host to my first live taster of local band, The Rise, on 26 May 2005. The intimate venue was certainly not packed to the rafters, however, encouragingly, much of the clientele was The Rise’s ever-growing hardcore following of partners, family, friends, new fans and this time, The Beat Surrender.
The track played for sound checking purposes, Money, sounded a little raw to my untrained ears, however I later learned that the band were having a nightmare with the venue’s sound set up, thus dampening their spirits slightly, but not, I have to say, their main performance.
Their opening tracks of Take Me Away and Dreamer served to reassure me that The Rise were not about to let me down after their excellent demo cd. As they launched into Easy Ryder, my friend commented that she loved the funky baseline and wondered if this would be the track that propelled The Rise to fame. My money’s on New Situation, as it’s my favourite so far, which was their finale later in the evening.
The upbeat and lively Grabbing and Stealing presented a more rocky feel to the evening’s repertoire, and Andy commented later that although their music is not going in the rock direction, their fans love it so much that they won’t let the band drop it from their set. After Stand up Straight, You Got It Bad slowed things down a notch and with it’s Indie ballad feel, served to prove that this band certainly doesn’t lack versatility. Jon (guitars) takes over lead vocals on this one, his hypnotic, velvety tones complimented beautifully by Andy’s strong, husky vocal accompaniment and acoustic guitar. The band said later that this is a fairly new track, much of it being improvised on the night, but this certainly wasn’t apparent.
The penultimate track was a much more polished version of Money, sounding brilliant after the sound system had been improved at the band’s request, and this upped the Indie tempo for the final track, New Situation.
Despite the band’s reticence about the sound system (and the inappropriate, albeit enthusiastic, compere), The Rise are an utter pleasure, and a must, to see live. Andy’s powerful, intense vocals are as passionate and perfectly tuned live as they are in the studio (which can’t be said of other artists who shall remain nameless).
- Rise, The
- Carpe Diem (26th May 2005)
- Category: Live
- Label: Unsigned
- Reviewed by: Rachel
- Published on: 12 Jun 2005
- Comments: 1
- Beat Surrender Rating:
Weblinks
Add to favouritesThe enthusiasm of Mike on drums, which retain their clear cut, echoey sound, is astounding. Kirk’s strong, rhythmic, funky bass maintains the Indie feel and with Jon’s pure, unique, intricate guitar riffs and backing vocals, the sound is tight and complete, that of a band who know what they’re doing and love what they do.
After playing The Mixing Tin on 31 May 2005, the band will be having a short break from live performances, returning on 16 July 2005 to play the HMV Showcase (springboard to fame for the likes of the Kaiser Chiefs and The Cribs) at Joseph’s Well in Leeds.
After seeing The Rise live, I maintain the bubbling excitement and enthusiasm portrayed in my review of their 3-track demo. This band has got something, a big something, a vitality, freshness and passion that other bands are without, that brings back memories of summer 1990, and they will make it. If you want proof, go and see them, you won’t be disappointed.
For more information, photos and gig dates visit www.theriseuk.com or email theriseuk@yahoo.com
Have your say...
Comment Permalink | Rachel said:
Leeds band THE RISE are celebrating their first year together in style, with a gig at the famous Leeds venue THE COCKPIT. It’s on Fri 14 Oct and tickets are £4 (contact me or the band) or it’s a fiver on the door.
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