LIVE REVIEW: The Rasmus @ O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
If the shorter daylight hours haven’t given it away, winter has arrived. With it comes a sense of overall gloom. A melancholy which isn’t lost on THE RASMUS as they bring their brand of positive sadness to the O2 Forum Kentish Town in London for the last night of the Live And Never Die UK tour.
Following ICON FOR HIRE’s withdrawal from the tour, Italian outfit OVERLAPS are tasked with warming up this evening’s crowd. Patrons are still filing into the room as the band takes to the stage with a dash of aural atmospherics. Though the ominous tones seeping from the PA system are a misdirect as we’re treated to joyous energy. Perhaps something akin to Euro-pop as guitars and synths combine in a Eurovision sort of way.
As vocalist Gloria Piccinin powers through Your Eyes and Who I Am, the willingness to hype up the crowd comes out with many attempts at crowd participation. If there’s a moment without vocals, Piccinin encourages the audience to clap along to the infectious beats. The level of showmanship on display isn’t in question. The many hair flips and clapping interludes draw the eye. Yet it becomes predictable and the novelty wears off relatively quickly.
New track White Line makes up for this with its hooky riffs and bouncy synths. Piccinin’s vocals are peppy against the undulating guitar. Later, recent single Love Coma displays a darker edge to OVERLAPS. It’s this and Spleen’s breathy vocals which make for highlights of the set. However the set becomes somewhat formulaic and has many people checking their socials, waiting for the main event.
Rating: 6/10
With the room now nicely packed out, the nostalgia begins the moment the lights dim. Flashes appear across the screened backdrop as we are teased with the opening riff of First Day Of My Life. When the Finnish four piece finally takes the stage, the crowd becomes unglued as they steep themselves in the moment. After a shaky start, vocalist Lauri Ylönen settles into the role of melancholy bard while mimicking an emo Peter Pan as he bounces around the stage.
Sentimentality is never far away when it comes to THE RASMUS. The choice to open their set with older material is a good one as the tandem of Guilty and In My Life transport us back to simpler times. The crowd sits solidly in the palm of Ylönen’s hand. Moving into No Fear, the fan favourite falls slightly flat as there is a lack of bass tone. This issue rears itself again during the darker Fireflies which is a slight dampener but not so much that it becomes a disappointment. Those tracks may miss the mark for some but solos from new guitarist Emilia Suhonen masterfully redirect the ear.
The challenge THE RASMUS face is how to incorporate newer material into the set without it affecting the overall balance. The band may stumble slightly as 2004’s Dead Letters‘ Time To Burn fades into Rise‘s Live And Never Die but the latter’s hooky chorus pulls them back. What is worth noting here is Ylönen’s ability to beguile the audience with these motivational songs while simultaneously resembling The Magic Roundabout’s Zebedee as he jumps and runs across the stage.
Ylönen’s energy is contained somewhat when the band introduces a small acoustic set. Perhaps allowing himself to take a moment as well as the audience. The highlight of this comes with October And April, a song inspired by a Finnish children’s story. It’s here we’re able to fully appreciate Suhonen’s talents as her softer vocals add another layer to this already multi-faceted band. Not only is she an underrated guitarist but her vocals are also. Living out a fan moment, she is able to perform her favourite song, Sophia, with the band – complete with Ylönen’s stint on the kazoo.
If we thought the kazoo was an odd moment, THE RASMUS’ cover of Ghostbusters takes us slightly aback. Though much faster and lacking the charm of RAY PARKER JR’s original, it’s most certainly a mood lifter. Striking a balance between upbeat and downtempo was always going to be a delicate dance for THE RASMUS but they manage to execute it rather well.
Members of the audience waiting for “those songs” were teased right until the very end of the set. The sound of screams are deafening as the automated pips from In The Shadows begin. While we would love to comment on Ylönen’s vocal performance here, we can’t as the crowd simply drown him out. Combining the track which first propelled them to mainstream success with the thumping beat of Eurovision hit Jezebel is ultimately a wonderful move. This showcases THE RASMUS are still able to craft excellent songs and euphoric atmospheres some 20 years after their start.
After a stripped rendition of Sail Away, we’re let out into the night to revel in the fuzziness of our nostalgia. While there were some moments which missed the mark in terms of our own expectations, we let those slide as the overall experience of THE RASMUS’ performance is a positive one. Crowds may come to shows to escape their feelings about the outside world but THE RASMUS have us confront and release them in a comforting space. That catharsis may only last a single moment but that moment will join the many others we look to like fireflies in the darkness of winter nights.
Rating: 8/10
Check out our photo gallery from the night’s action in London from Sarah Tsang here:
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