10 July 2009 (gig)
12 July 2009
A Major Success for the Minors
It might appear that Elliot Minor is lacking true rock n' roll credentials. Beforehand guitarist Ed Minton was more concerned with ensuring the safe arrival of his parents, and lead singer Alex admitted that his cringiest moment was slightly messing up a few chords on tour. Hardly outrageous rocker lifestyles. Yet Elliot Minor proved that they can walk the walk with a raw and impassioned sell-out show at the O2 Academy, Islington.
First up, The Mission District. Although mainstream in appeal and indistinguishable from other punk pop artists, this Canadian group energized and lifted the crowd and demonstrated an authentic love of the music they produce. Both their own cheery lyrics and covers of pop remixes - including a brief tribute to the late Michael Jackson - brought the crowds to their feet. Judging by the ear-piercing shrieks from the majority of teenage girls in the audience, The Mission District definitely has a future.
The atmosphere when Elliot Minor arrived on stage to chants of "Love the Minors" was nothing short of electric. Armed with only a microphone, guitar and oozing considerable professional confidence, frontman Alex Davies pulled off an immense performance, almost wasted on his fans that were mostly new to the music scene. Davies' jagged guitar solos and raw melodic choruses definitely hit the right note.
Playing tracks from their debut album, as well as some from their as yet unnamed album to be released later this year, Elliot Minor brought diversity to this years playlist. New songs such as "The Courtroom" had fans cheering at Ed Minton's hypnotic harmonies and upcoming single "Solaris" (released 10th August) was well received. The band also performed an acoustic version of "Last Call to New York", which demonstrated their thorough early classical training and had an entranced audience swaying in time, hands raised.
By end-of-tour standards, the staging was pretty minimal - no sparks or small fireworks, just a small smoke machine and flashing lights. Dan Hetherton and his drums were obscured by the rest of the equipment, due to the small stage and lack of a raised platform.
Still, as Alex Davies himself summarises, "It's all about the music and giving 100% to each show" and Elliot Minor did just that.
