Bringing your Valentine’s date down to the basement of the Middle East? “A terrible fucking idea,” declared Adam Thompson, lead singer for We Were Promised Jetpacks halfway into their headlining set. The audience, however, begged to differ voicing boisterous approval after every song at the sold-out concert.
With his thick Scottish brogue, Thompson’s voice soared over WWPJ’s breakneck tempos, managing to merge the frantic energy of post punk with stadium-sized anthems. Often singing with his eyes closed and his head tilted upward or bowed downward, Thompson’s face contorted with each syllable, squeezing out every last drop of expression. Around him, his bandmates kept up an unending stream of steady eighth-notes, bouncing the crowd up and down.
Towards the end of the show, Thompson lowered the mic and sang acoustically, his voice still filling the club. The audience joined him, and the Middle East transformed into one of those neighborhood pubs in Glasgow where everyone knows each other’s name and rousing sing-alongs have a habit of spontaneously erupting.
Stream some of the Jetpack’s songs below, download Ships With Holes Will Sink, and enjoy photos of the show by Foundwaves and a live Youtube video courtesy Jetpacks and Foundwaves fan, Jess Steeple.
Stay tuned for upcoming posts featuring live video premieres and reviews of Royal Bangs and Bad Veins from the Valentine’s Day show …