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Aiden - October 1st 2008 - Manchester Academy 3
Support - Slaves To Gravity
Opening act Slaves To Gravity offer up no frills rock and roll that doesn’t subscribe to any particular fad, which makes a refreshing change in today’s genre-obsessed musical climate. They may fail to properly ignite tonight’s predominantly younger crowd, but for three quarters of an hour, they churn out classy rock and roll that has the sort of timeless appeal Aiden and the like can only dream of, even if tonight it goes underappreciated.
Aiden have been touring with their second full length album ‘Conviction’ for a while now (this is their second UK headlining tour, in addition to a support slot on the extensive UK leg of the Taste of Chaos tour.) Some new material is long overdue and, judging by tonight’s half empty venue, most of their fanbase have had their fill of ‘Conviction’ and have given Aiden a miss this time.
It’s likely the majority of those who have turned up tonight, were also in attendance in April when Aiden played downstairs at Academy 2 and, after shelling out another £15, they won’t be satisfied with an action replay of April’s show.
Aiden are nothing if not in tune with their fanbase, and pull out all the stops to make tonight something special. They construct the setlist from the most unlikely of sources, including their recent rerecording of ‘Cry Little Sister’ from the Lost Boys 2 soundtrack and their cover of the Misfit’s classic ‘Die, Die My Darling’ which featured on their ‘Rain in Hell’ EP.
Their setlist is spot on, as the crowd are screaming for ‘Cry Little Sister’ even before frontman WiL Francis lets on that they’ll be playing some songs they’ve never played live before. When the eerie opening strains of ‘Cry Little Sister’ finally waft across the room, the screams are deafening, and during Aiden’s rapturously received reworking of ‘Die, Die My Darling’ you can barely hear WiL Francis over the sound of the crowd singing along. The punters may be thin on the ground, but what they lack in numbers they make up for in enthusiasm.
As their set draws to a close, Aiden select a member of the audience to come onstage and play a song with them. Green Day may have been pulling this shtick for years, but the tension is almost unbearable as Francis spends a good few minutes pointing out the chords to their one-night-only guitarist. Just when it seems this gimmick is backfiring spectacularly, the guy begins to play, and the entire venue visibly relaxes as it becomes clear he’s more than up to the task of jamming with Aiden.
“This is Shaun!” Francis informs the crowd, pointing to the lucky spectator-turned-participator. The crowd spontaneously begin chanting “Shaun! Shaun! Shaun!” A blatant Green Day rip off it may be, but it’s one that leaves everyone grinning, convinced they’ve just witnessed something unique to this show.
Another bit of showmanship Aiden employ is the wall of death, which is fast becoming their live trademark, but it’s a trick that doesn’t seem to be getting old anytime soon.
On the downside, the fanatical appeal of tonight’s show means that there are a fair number of over-zealous idiots in the audience, two of whom spend the entire show scaling the amps before hurling themselves into the front rows. This is entertaining enough the first few times, but by the fifth, sixth, seventh time, even Aiden guitarist Angel is shooting them annoyed looks, a sentiment that’s surely shared by those down the front who’ve spent half of tonight’s show bracing themselves for impact. Why security didn’t just throw them out is a complete mystery.
But, minor crowd annoyances aside, Aiden served up a treat for their hardcore fanbase, playing obscure songs that might not find a place on setlists once their next album is released. They topped proceedings off with a handful of theatrical flourishes and the definite sense that, without a new album, EP, or even a single to promote, Aiden are free to just enjoy themselves.
The next time Aiden grace these shores, they’ll most likely be back in larger venues, treating bigger crowds to scores of brand new material, but there’s something to be said for tiny, just-for-the-hell-of-it shows such as these.
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