We'll Have No Trouble Here!
With two albums already in the can and three 'Single of The Week' awards from Radio One, Reuben have already made their mark. Singer/guitarist Jamie and bassist John met when they were 13 and have been in bands together ever since and this long association makes for a particularly tight sounding band. They draw a good crowd and receive an amazing reaction as they come on. With Jamie's screaming vocals and a measured sound from the rest of the band their experience really comes to the fore, the crowd sing along at every given opportunity and are possibly the liveliest of the day.
The majority of the songs are mid-paced but loud and well delivered, not exactly catchy but they are engaging. The vocal harmonies are working well and by the second song the band are well into it and so are the crowd with some frenzied activity down at the front. Jamie encourages yet more audience participation and they duly oblige him.
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Unfortunately their set is marred by somebody in the crowd throwing items at Jamie, initially I thought their reaction of threatening to leave somewhat hypocritical as they'd been launching Reuben frisbies into the crowd for ten minutes beforehand but when it turned out to be a bottle that had been thrown the reaction is more than understandable. This is a problem that persists at intervals throughout their set, which is a shame as the longer they play the more they grow on you. Their recent download only song 'Blamethrower' is a definite highlight, with a solid rhythm that explodes into a shouting chorus.
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For a three piece, Reuben have a full sound and easily fill the tent, this is helped by excellent sound (definitely the best of the day). Recent single 'Kick In The Mouth' sounds even better live than it does on record and has the majority of the crowd clapping along. Material from the new album 'Very Fast Very Dangerous' shows that there is plenty more to come from Reuben, in particular the new single 'Keep It To Yourself'. An impressive song, more radio friendly than some of the other material it's by no means commercial in the 'sell out' sense since it retains their familiar sound.
Another highlight of the set is 'Freddy Kreuger' which unfortunately stops after 10 seconds due to yet another throwing incident. When it resumes it is easily the best track of the set and really gets the crowd bouncing, along with a pause for a metal hand salute half way through. Good band, good crowd (apart from one obvious individual) and a great end to a good day on the Rock Sound Stage.
To view all photos taken during this set click here. There are 14 available.