More Than An Emo By-Line
On paper Chicago’s Madina Lake may not look like the most likely of candidates to be the main support for a Papa Roach tour. Lumped into the deluge of emo band’s over the last few years, the Leone twins and co. were written off, deemed unfairly by some as a mere flash in the pan that would dwindle away but, with two albums now under their belts, its fair to say Madina Lake won’t be taken alive.
With red neon lights acting as a vibrant backdrop, the Chicago quartet burst onto the stage with an uncontainable enthusiasm. Unleashing a blast of infectious pop-rock tracks, Madina Lake are a colossal force of roaring vitality. Bare footed, front man Nathan Leone manages to bound across every inch of the stage, skipping and jumping with an inexhaustible supply of energy, sprinting headfirst into a stage dive that sees him engulfed by the crowd much to the worry of a near by roadie before he bounces back to continue the set, attempting throughout to high five as many of the crowd as possible. Not to be outdone by his brother, bassist Matthew also refuses to remain stationary, zipping from one side of the stage to another with an fervour that only aids in adhering Madina Lake further to the crowd as the contagious chorus of ‘Let’s Get Out Of Here’ mingles with the raw energy of ‘House Of Cards’ that gains a fistful of extra aggression in the live environment.
More than a mere emo by-line, Madina Lake have earned the right to be taken seriously as a rock band and as the last ounces of energy are drained out of their lively set, it is clear that tonight at least, they have been judged on their sheer live quality.