Conrad Keely, takes to the stage with his five-piece band ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead. The addition of second drummer, Doni Schroader, kicks their already thunderous live sound into the middle of next week. Opener, ‘Overture’, has the pomp of Wagner (had he grown up listening to West Coast psychedelia). The sound of Smashing Pumpkins at their peak (and most ridiculous) creeps into much of tonight’s set.
‘Worlds Apart’, sees Conrad bounce off the stage and into the assembled Audioslave fans (who tonight they support). He emerges unscathed. Looking like Dave Grohl’s kid brother, Conrad has grown in confidence since Trail Of Dead’s breakthrough release, ‘Source Tags & Codes’. It shows: ‘Caterwaul’ rocks like a wind jammer in a hurricane. The two drummers could power nuclear submarines, it might be the answer to Conrad’s state of the world fixation.
Much of tonight’s seven song set is lifted from their latest album. It’s hard to tell if it’s unfamiliarity or impatience for the headliners, Audioslave, that’s leaving most of the crowd static. ‘Mistakes & Regrets’, or a 10-minute approximation of it, receives the biggest cheer of the night.
Any chance of an encore is soon dismissed when the rhythm section, along with other assorted instruments is predictably trashed. Conrad and Jason acknowledge the crowd with appreciative grins. They look on at the pile of junk now destined for their London storage space. The tour manager won’t be happy…
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