Reviewed on Jan 20, 2006 by scary mary

So many tours pass through Nottingham that sometimes apathy takes hold, but when I discovered that the mighty Stretch Arm Strong were due to play three months prior to their show, excitement quickly took hold!
So trundling down to Rock City I found myself full of nerves. Could these guys really pull it off? Could they sound as awesome live as they do on CD? Having only seen them once before (in France) I knew how incendiary they could be, but only if the crowd was equally explosive.

Tour support, Connecticut’s With Honor had the unenviable task of warming up the eighty or so people present with their blend of shouty hardcore and uplifting beats. A few songs into their set the crowd really got going with fists punching and legs swinging, causing chaos down the front. With Honor pull off a brilliant performance for their Nottingham debut.
By the time South Carolina’s Stretch Arm Strong take to the stage the crowd has swelled to a hundred people, all intent on creating havoc down the front. From new songs such as ‘Faces’ to classics like ‘We Bleed’ (from ‘Engage’) Stretch Arm Strong put in 110% and earn themselves more fans along the way.
Early set highlights include ‘Hearts on Fire’ and the incredible ‘For the Hardest Part’ which raise the bar, as the crowd get more and more involved the band give more and more back. Devilish as he is, vocalist Chris McLane created the biggest circle pit of the night by urging everyone to follow one girl. Round and around she went with everyone in tow, bumping into people, tripping over, laughing, and sharing in the intensity that was this show, creating a night to remember.
The penultimate song is what we’ve all been waiting for: ‘For the Record.’ Undoubtedly the best song of Stretch Arm Strong’s career, one that means so much to both the band and their fans, and one which sees the most sing-a-longs of the whole evening.
They were more than just a tour date, and we all sweat and sang together, and it helped us to carry on…Stage diving, sing-a-longs and circle pits, with one of the most intense bands out there, in a venue with just one hundred people – an incredible night, simply unbelievable.

Support Acts:

With Honor

Related Links:

• stretcharmstrong.net

Album Reviews

Free At Last Jan 26, 2006

Gig Reviews

Jan 19, 2006 Nottingham Rock City, UK

Interviews

Mar 2, 2006