The Futureheads @ Lincoln Hall (6/12/10)

The Futureheads concluded its first U.S. tour in four years with a blasting show at Lincoln Hall in support of their fourth album The Chaos. The quartet hammered out a set that delivered song after song at a breakneck pace that left the crowd little time to catch its breath. It was a night of catching up with the band from Sunderland, England rather than becoming reacquainted after so long. The band and its fans were certainly happy to see each other again.

Having gone through the down time caused by singer/guitarist Barry Hyde’s tendonitis, which led to the band pulling its U.S. tour in 2006, and the eventual split from its record label, 679 Recordings, The Futureheads walked on stage with confidence and joy. There was a sense that this band, still relatively young in its career, had a strong grasp of its identity and direction.

Launching into songs like “Walking Backwards” and “Heartbeat Song,” the band left no note unturned. The jittering stop-start motion of the songs immediately captured the crowd as their bodies matched each tempo. The floor of Lincoln Hall resembled ocean waves crashing into one another. The level of fun the band was having on stage wore off on the crowd more and more throughout the night. Ross Millard wrestled and steered his guitar like a wild bull while pounding out chords that sounded like one hundred buzz saws. Drummer Dave Hyde and bassist David “Jaff” Craig kept the band’s high speed attack on course, creating an underlying weight that added to the songs’ punch.

Barry Hyde’s charisma behind the microphone showed how far he had become as a frontman while still maintaining some fun on stage. His constant engagement with the crowd broke down the stereotypical wall that sets the band apart from the audience, reducing the fans to mere spectators and not participates in the music. The Futureheads concentrated heavily on the latest album while spreading out much of its backlog like “Back To The Sea” from News & Tributes and “Carnival Kids” from the self-titled debut.

From the first second the band produced a note to the final fading sounds of feedback, The Futureheads’ energy on stage never let up. What was equally impressive was the musical progression the band showed in its latest songs. Although speed still plays a part in their music, The Futureheads have learned how to build the substance behind the mad rush. In the songs “Sun Goes Down” and “Jupiter,” mood and structure showed new dimensions in the band’s sound that perhaps some never thought the band could achieve. The performance at Lincoln Hall was by no means a pivotal moment in the band’s career, nor was it a turning point in gaining a larger audience in the U.S. The performance was simply a band doing what it continues to do best…play music.

As The Futureheads bashed out an extended encore that included “Le Garage” and “The Connector,” the crowd had found its stamina to keep up with the varied marathon speeds of the songs. The final show on the band’s return to the U.S. ended with smiles and hugs. If there was only one statement to take after the show, it would be that The Futureheads are back in gear.

Photo Courtesy of The Futureheads/MySpace Page