“We will all bathe in the blood of hounds.“
Photography by Graham Ransom on the 13th July, contact Graham prior to any use.
For the majority of metalcore listeners, there is a special place for Alexisonfire within their heart. There will be a different story for each on how they first discovered or came to love the Canadian unit. Many die-hards who first began their journey with the self-titled album back in 2002 or Watch out! in 2004. For others it will be with Crisis, after “This Could Be Anywhere In The World” swept across the World Wide Web and the music channels of MTV, Kerrang and Scuzz TV in 2006. Many still continued to join, as the now ever popular “Young Cardinals” as part of the Young Cardinals/Old Crows record has made for a fan favourite in the Alexisonfire discography.
Before they took to the stage, their support was Birds in Row, a French post hardcore band who have many, many UK shows under their belts already. Their set list for this tour focused almost exclusively on their 2022 record Gris Klein, a sublime move as, whilst they’ve always been a quality band, this album captured them at their very best. The combination of “Noah” and “Cathedral” made for an early set victory. The former’s incredible build up is tense and desperate, Quentin Sauvé‘s vocals navigating a torturous path upwards into the stratosphere. “Cathedral” follows to provide the very definition of their unhinged, all-out sonic warfare approach to post hardcore. It’s welcome to see them thoroughly tour this material, but we’re starting to look forward to their future, as what follows could be a generational record for European post hardcore.
Birds In Row
Last performing in 2022, they made their return to Brixton this month, on familiar ground for Alexisonfire. Yet from the moment “Young Cardinals” opened their set, the crowd was enamoured as if they were witnessing the iconic band for the first time. Blasting through early gems in the outset, it was the moment of “Sans Soleil” that made for a goosebump moment early on. Green‘s absolutely gorgeous and soulful vocals filling the Academy, with a crowd dutifully and singing along with heart. As “Where you end, I begin again” was sang out across the room, it was simply a moment of sheer magic that only Alexisonfire in a live setting could conjure.
It was a set list that was clearly meant to have something for each Alexisonfire fan. The gritty “Rough Hands“, the catchy “Born and Raised“, “Hey, It’s Your Funeral Mama” for the die-hards and “Dog’s Blood” for the head bangers. As Alexisonfire performed through these, there was a sheer joy and heart that radiated throughout the audience. Pettit and MacNeil egged the crowd on, who more than lived up to it. As expected, and truthfully hoped by everyone, Alexisonfire closed out their set with “This Could Be Anywhere in the World“, a crowd in unison singing out, “Because this city, this city is haunted“. This showed the ageless nature of a track that is nearly two-decades old.
Alexisonfire
There isn’t any secret formula to what making see Alexisonfire live such a grand experience. At the core of it there is a sheer love from both Alexisonfire themselves and the audience present – for a band that has been going longer than many would like to recount, those that are still following are still there out of sheer heart for what Alexisonfire do. It helps that Alexisonfire have written some absolute bangers that are still some of the greatest tracks to sing along to. Just try to find a better track to belt out with all your heart than “Sans Soleil“, then soon bark along to “Dog’s Blood” with sheer adrenaline. It’s all still commanded by Dallas Green‘s seemingly timeless voice. Each of these tracks and moments throughout their set make that special place in the heart that each Alexisonfire fan gleam with joy, and we hope they continue to do so for a many more years to come.