As ‘No Rest’ erupted from the stage and the adored punk tinged rockers hit the stage it was clear for all to see that Holmfirth is indeed a venue that the band hold very dear. The energy which spilled over into the crowd was palpable and then within the blink of an eye a huge pit had ignited in the centre of the floor with many shirts being discarded from the sweat drenched torsos in order to allow the passion and fervour to escape from every pore of every single beating body.
‘Here Comes The War’ invoked one of the loudest sing alongs I had witnessed at an NMA gig, it was impressive in its deliverance and it seemed to have every set of lungs in the whole god damn place joining together in order to deliver the lyrics back at the band pretty much word perfect. Sullivan led the charge from his usual front and centre home and belted out the tunes as if his life depended on it, declaring fairly early on that ‘it’s good to be back here’, and it was certainly a sentiment that was echoed straight back at the stage ten-fold by every NMA shirt, faded to varying degrees and charting pretty much every poignant moment in the NMA history, in the place.
Monger used his flaming red mane to good effect throughout the whole set, commanding it to beat and sway to every pulse which he generated from his thick stringed beast, especially during an emotive ‘Vagabonds’ which saw the crowd ramp up the output to an exhilarating eleven. As the evening progressed, the band and crowd became more synced, more united and cohesive, every lyric sung back at Sullivan et al with fervour, passion and intense dedication which only cemented my belief that you will be hard pushed to find a band with a more committed, loyal and staunch fanbase than those that were occupying the Picturedrome tonight.
With ‘Thunder And Consolation’ being generously represented tonight, it was easy to see why it is a firm fan favourite, and an album which holds such a deep-rooted pace in many a NMA heart. ‘Green And Grey’ was powerful and flamboyant while ‘Poison Street’ induced a truly beautiful and energetic response from the sold out gathering. The real bittersweet highlight though came in the form of the set closer, ‘I Love The World’, and with it came the conclusion that there really aren’t enough adjectives in the English dictionary to replicate just how much it provoked passion and joy, sentiments of elation and ecstasy, it really was the perfect way to end a perfect set with a perfect band.
Take a bow gentleman, you only gone and done it again. Absolutely bloody brilliant, cheers
