Atlanta’s Norma Jean have been delivering their fierce brand of heavy rock n roll for almost two decades now and, although they have a solid and loyal fanbase, they never quite managed to cross over to the broad audience that many, including myself, felt they deserved. The band are currently touring to celebrate the ten year anniversary of an album that many consider their finest hour, O God, the Aftermath. The album, which received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Recording Package, was the first to feature current vocalist Cory Brandan, and found the band developing a more distinct style, setting them apart from the metalcore scene that they’d been associated with.
For tonight’s show, Norma Jean have brought along a superb and varied line-up of supporting bands, beginning with locals, Saul Hittner. The Montreal five-piece waste no time in setting out their stall with their impressive mix of screamo, post-hardcore & post-rock that shifts from intricate and melodic passages to pounding guitar assaults, all the while layered with Pierre-Luc Blais’ emotional vocals.
The band obviously have their supporters in tonight’s audience, but do well to win over new fans who arrived early enough to catch a Montreal band worthy of your attention.
The Ongoing Concept are a different concept altogether from the openers. A Christian band from Rathdrum, Idaho made up of three brothers and their childhood friend, they now share a record label with the headliners – Solid State Records. Their more mainstream brand of hardcore is never predictable but has enough energy in its performance to get the party started, as frontman Kyle wanders through the crowd before jumping back on stage to perform an ironically cheesy keyboard interlude while his bandmate fixes a technical issue. Songs like Cover Girl highlight the humour in their approach but they’re obviously accomplished musicians who certainly hold everyone’s attention for the 25 minutes they’re on (and off) stage.
Florida band Sleepwave bring something more experimental to tonight’s proceedings with a unique sound that mixes hardcore with electronica (electronicore anyone?!). Fronted by the instantly recognisable ex-Underoath vocalist Spencer Chamberlain, Sleepwave are touring in support of their debut album, Broken Compass, of which Chamberlain says “I am more proud of this record than anything I have ever done””. He thanks the crowd for being kind enough to give them a chance when they don’t have breakdowns or screaming but, in actual fact, there are obviously more than a few people here excited to see this new band live.
Chamberlain is an enigmatic frontman. He twists and turns around the stage as he delivers a magnificent vocal performance, helped along by suitably excellent musicians, notably Stephen Bowman who is a huge part of what makes Sleepwave so interesting and original. The songs are accessible and melodic yet with enough of an edge to appeal to fans of Chamberlain’s former band, and they receive the best reception of the night so far.
When Norma Jean recorded their debut album, Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child, 13 years ago, vocals were ably handled by one Josh Scogin. He chose to quit the band soon after, going on to form The Chariot. When The Chariot eventually disbanded, Scogin took a new approach, forming a duo with his friend and drummer Michael McClellan, giving them the name ’68, an homage to his Dad’s old car. And tonight ’68 bring their raucous and brilliantly chaotic rock n roll in front of an audience full of smiling faces as Scogin cracks jokes, throws his microphone over the beams above him and climbs onto McClellan’s drum kit while he screams the words as if his life depended on it.
Playing songs from their debut album, In Humor and Sadness, ’68 have the attention of the room for the duration of their set, partly down to Scogin’s unpredictable antics, partly down to the fact that they sound phenomenal. McClellan batters his drums with relentless energy and, as a duo, they manage to create a sound that is far more than the sum of its parts.
Norma Jean are a man down tonight. The famously ruthless Canadian border patrol decided that their guitarist should remain in his native USA rather than play music for his fans north of the border. It’s a shame. As the band begin their set with the opening chords of Murderotica: An Avalanche in D Minor, their sound is obviously lacking that full guitar sound that they’re known for. They describe themselves as “Heavy Loud Rock N Roll” but it’s sounding just a little less heavy and rocking than usual.
Thankfully, any noticeable lacking in the sound is almost immediately forgotten as the four remaining members do their damnedest to make the immense songs from O God, the Aftermath sound as large as they ever did. The album is played in its entirety, in order, and it sounds every inch the classic. For a few songs they bring out a guest guitarist who only learned the songs earlier on today. He does an impressive job too, helping to make up for the loss of their stranded bandmate.
As a vocalist, Brandan is in blazing form. His voice has that perfect mix of aggression and melody that few can match. He spends much of their set, foot on monitor, belting out the lyrics into the faces of those closest to the stage. The fans, in turn, go suitably apeshit, a swirling mass of bodies clambering towards the front, arms aloft.
Following chants of “Nor-ma Jean, Nor-ma Jean’ from the crowd, Scogin accompanies his former band for a ferocious run through Memphis Will Be Laid To Waste. Tonight, though it was Montreal, Canada that was totally laid to waste. Norma Jean remain one of the best and most underrated bands delivering “Heavy Loud Rock N Roll” on the planet. Watch out for a new album in 2016, and hopefully a return to Montreal, this time with all members on stage.
Review and photos – Steve Gerrard
