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Mindless Self Indulgence - 21st October 2007 - Manchester Academy 2
Support - Far From The Dance
Huddersfield Far From the Dance sound surprisingly good for a support band - and an unsigned one at that - mixing a heavy sound with electronic samples and masterful, urgent choruses that make them accessible, whilst still sounding unique. Tonight, the band’s energy is impressive, and it is impossible not to get caught up in their enthusiasm. Hopefully, this is a band who are about to get some of the recognition they deserve.
As Mindless Self Indulgence take to the stage, it’s refreshing to hear each band member receiving a near-hysterical reception. Even the sight of the drummer sitting down at her kit inspires screams of delight, despite the fact that drummers are too often overlooked in favour of more ‘prestigious’ band members. But while the rest of the band receive a rapturous reception, the screams reach entirely new levels the moment ringleader Jimmy Urine steps out onstage.
The band opens with long-standing live-favourite ‘Tornado,’ which sees the crowd shouting every line back at the band, and continuing to do so for the rest of the night.
Surprisingly, MSI unleash ‘Shut Me Up’ - arguably their most high profile song - barely five minutes into their set, when it seems such an obvious choice for an encore. But maybe this shouldn’t come as a surprise, as tonight MSI prove time and time again that they like to do things their way. There are no gig clichés tonight, no cries of “scream for me, Manchester!” or calls for the audience to show their appreciation for the support bands. Instead, we have Jimmy paying a member of the audience to kick the man stood next to her; making the crowd bark into his microphone, and, for no readily apparent reason, declaring “this is a Marks and Spencer’s moment” halfway through ‘Backmask,’ a song which, in classic MSI twisted humour, orders all their fans to go and kill themselves. You have to wonder where Jimmy comes up with this stuff.
Tonight’s set-highlight has to be MSI’s cover of Method Man’s ‘Bring The Pain,’ which sees Jimmy rapping and falsettoing along with no musical accomplishment, providing a reminder that, regardless of how much Urine messes around onstage, he possesses one of the most versatile voices in modern rock.
Musically, MSI sling so many different styles together that it’s impressive they sound coherent on record, and nothing short of miraculous that they can pull it off live. As they rocket through every genre with reckless abandon and a complete disregard for political correctness (tonight’s setlist features songs with titles such as ‘Faggot’ and, perhaps more controversially, ‘I Hate Jimmy Paige’) it’s clear that MSI are never going to appeal to the masses, but with incendiary, exhilarating, and downright weird shows like this, the following that they do have will always be coming back for more.
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