Lostprophets

I know I’m getting older, but crowds at gigs nowadays are definitely getting younger. If you needed any confirmation of this, the Apollo’s audience on Saturday night would have provided it, given not only the number of pint-sized pogoers inside the venue, but the hordes of anxious parents waiting outside afterwards. A fair number of older rockers looked on too, completing one of the more diverse demographics I’ve seen at a gig in a while.

I don’t know what it is that makes Lostprophets’ melodic brand of new wave so appealing to kids, but it’s probably something to do with rebellion and liking music that your parents won’t like and will find offensive. This notion sadly falls down here, given the number of older folk in attendance.

Having spent much of the year touring in support of the Liberation Transmission LP, the Welsh rockers put on a rather jaded, formulaic performance at Hammersmith and you can hardly blame them. Having seen them rock Brixton to the rafters in July, it seems that the heavy schedule has taken its toll.

The singles off the new album were given an enthusiastic reception, as were old favourites like Fake Sound of Progress and Last Summer. Lead singer Ian Watkins introduced Shinobi vs Dragon Ninja by telling the audience it was written in 20 minutes and that the band had played it in every live set they have played. The youthfulness of the audience was proved when the band covered The Jam’s smash Going Underground and only a handful of people knew the words.

All in all, the band played the songs that people came to hear, but the limited banter between songs and other indications of a band going through the motions point at a group that are probably hoping they can put their feet up in the not too distant future.