Motion City Soundtrack at London Astoria

A gig I initially signed up for because Straylight Run was supporting turned out to be a pretty awesome event. Motion City Soundtrack performed at the London Astoria with Straylight Run and Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer as support.

Now, before telling you about the gig, let me start with how I came across the event.

I use Last.fm’s events page to look for gigs associated with the music I listen to. Prior to this, I have never heard of Motion City Soundtrack before but since I listened to a few tracks by Ok Go the gig showed up on my recommended events. I wasn’t a big fan of Ok Go but thought it would be interesting. Then a few weeks later, the support band was changed and confirmed to be Straylight Run at which point I immediately purchased my tickets online (is there any other way?) as I am a very big fan of SR.

At this point, I started to listen to Motion City Soundtrack and the other support which was Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer so as to be familiar with them.

On to the venue. I have never been to the London Astoria before though I have passed it numerous times as it is in the SOHO area. Also, when I watched Saosin it was at the Mean Fiddler which is right next to London Astoria. Apparently, Mean Fiddler is also now called Astoria 2.

Being in Central London, the building and the venue itself is pretty old. The floor was made of wood and would shake when the crowd jumped. It is smaller than Brixton Academy but larger than Islington Academy. As for the view, it is pretty reasonable as the stage is wider and the overall area longer. Islington still tops the list of venues but Astoria comes before Brixton due to it’s size. Sound-wise though, it is pretty adequate, then again, I am no audiophile.

Gates opened exactly at 7 in the evening. The first support band started at around 7:30 which was quite lovely as we didn’t have to wait too long.

First up was Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer. Like MCS, I have never heard of them before but immediately liked them when I heard their Jalopy Go Far. They were quite wonderful onstage with lots of energy which did get the crowd dancing a bit. Some new songs where performed which were not as good as ones from the first album.

Next up was Straylight Run which was the reason I was there. They played an ok set with a mix of old and new songs. I really enjoyed seeing them live but wished for more. Sadly, they were there to support MCS during their UK tour so I guess I am just happy to see them live. Hopefully, they would have their own tour or show back in London sometime in the future.

Michelle DaRosa is absolutely lovely though. She sings, plays the guitar, keyboard and has this cute dance when she sings. Enjoyed watching her on stage. She is just a doll you’d love to take home. She is married though.

At slightly past 9, the main act was up, Motion City Soundtrack. The energy in the crowd was real intense. There were significantly more younger people compared to other gigs I’ve been to. Even if I barely knew the songs they sang, it was still an experience. If only I had been listening to Motion City Soundtrack years ago, I would have had more fun. I guess. The only song I knew by heart, The Future Freaks Me Out, was played as their encore. Also, Justin is one of the more entertaining vocalists on stage.

I would totally love to see them again sometime in the future even if Straylight Run is not their support.

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Now playing: Motion City Soundtrack – Broken Heart
via FoxyTunes

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~ by stingeyes on October 6, 2007.