The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Show reviews
    • Interviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Cannes
      • Sundance London
      • Venice
      • London
  • Music
    • Live music
    • Album reviews
    • Interviews
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
    • Fringe
    • Vault Festival
    • Interviews
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Interviews
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join the team
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

Culture Music Live music

ME at the Barfly

ME at the Barfly | Live review
6th March 2013
Samuel Mensah
Avatar
Samuel Mensah
6 March 2013

Australian rock band ME played the London leg of their European tour at the Barfly in Camden. The infamously elusive band consists of frontman Luke Ferris, Josh Murphy (lead guitar), Michael Godde (bass) and Spike Rogers (drums).  The group are currently promoting the release of their first full-length studio album, Even the Odd Ones Out, which was released last month. 

ME began the set with a cacophony of dirty, heavily distorted guitar effects, creating a wall of sound before dropping into a thumping rhythm. Straight away you could see that this band is hell bent on saluting the gods of rock. They seem to almost deliberately reincarnate their influences through their music and energetic performance.

ME exhibited versatility and skill with a variety of effective tracks: Working Life is a mixture of The Darkness and Queen, with a magnificent choral refrain, and Like a Fox is an incredible rock track with enough verve to mirror Muse in their earlier years.

The incomprehensible circus style theatrics of Hoo Ha and multi-structured rollercoaster of Vampire!! Vampire!! proved ME have a trick or two up their sleeves, while the 70s glam sound of Rock and Roll Dandy showed the quartet are able to attempt serious pop arrangements.

Multi-instrumentalist Ferris is an impressive singer, able to flip between his chest voice and the head voice of his falsetto with relative ease. Murphy’s guitar solos were flashy without being excessive, with impressive fret work displayed onstage. Godde is a very competent bassist, whilst Rogers is an incredibly frantic drummer who made proper use of his full drum kit and ridiculous ability.

It was intrinsically evident that this group have picked up great experience supporting the likes of Kasabian and Death from Above 1979. ME are a fantastic bunch of musicians, revealing extraordinary musicianship and vocal harmonising that made the hair on the back of the neck stand up.

This was a great show, marred only by their more mellow efforts, which lacked the punch and excitement of the more intense songs.  Finishing with Westwards Backwards, the finale was a show within itself, as singer became bassist and bassist became drummer.  This is definitely a band that needs to be experienced in a larger setting.

★★★★★

Samuel Mensah
Photos: Neil Mach

For further information and future events visit ME’s website here.

Watch the video for Rock and Roll Dandy here:

Related Itemslive musicreview

More in Live music

Sophie Ellis-Bextor at Hammersmith Apollo

★★★★★
Taryn Crowley
Read More

Tom A Smith at Camden Assembly

★★★★★
Taryn Crowley
Read More

Willie J Healey at Electric Brixton

★★★★★
Hannah Broughton
Read More

Bear’s Den at Union Chapel

★★★★★
Emily Downie
Read More

Cian Ducrot at Hammersmith Apollo

★★★★★
Taryn Crowley
Read More

Jessie Ware at Alexandra Palace

★★★★★
Charlotte Gornall
Read More

The Streets at Alexandra Palace

★★★★★
Mark Worgan
Read More

Genesis Owusu at Heaven

★★★★★
Charlotte Gornall
Read More

Mystery Jets at SOUND Cafe

★★★★★
Taryn Crowley
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Your Christmas or Mine 2
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Earth Mama
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The Homecoming at the Young Vic
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Sophie Ellis-Bextor at Hammersmith Apollo
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • The Nutcracker at the Turbine Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Anselm
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Sophie Ellis-Bextor at Hammersmith Apollo
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • The Nutcracker at the Turbine Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Homecoming at the Young Vic
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Wonka
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Anselm
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The Homecoming at the Young Vic
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Sophie Ellis-Bextor at Hammersmith Apollo
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • The Nutcracker at the Turbine Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Wonka
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
The Upcoming
  • Contact us
  • Join the team
  • Subscribe to the mailing list
  • Support us
  • Writing for The Upcoming

Copyright © 2011-2023 FL Media