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From Silence to a Caterwaul: Trail of Dead Rolls Over The Canopy Club

posted by Matt Klomp at 6:20 pm.

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On Friday night the217.com proudly presented …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead at The Canopy Club. It was a very special night both for this website as well as for Chambana music lovers. The band was in perfect form and took complete control over the crowd. The people witnessing the maelstrom that is a Trail of Dead live performance for the first time were won over before the end of the second song.

…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead is one of my favorite bands to see live. They play to serve a purpose, to build something - without any cheap frills or gimmicks – and let the music do all of the talking. I’m always amazed at how riled up the band can make an audience of seemingly normal, mentally sound, un-angry, young people. The Trail of Dead audience is certainly not one of shaved heads, metal studs, and combat boots. No one really comes looking for carnage, but the explosive drums, snarling guitars, and the band’s own energy on stage form a very real connection with the audience that has a way of bringing out the primordial urges in people. The result is a kind of absurd, friendly violence moving in synch with the band’s feverish pace.

There were several highlights throughout the course of the show. “Naked Sun,” my favorite track off of the band’s latest release, So Divided, captured the audience’s complete attention and really set the stage for the rest of the show. The band’s performance of “Relative Ways” raised the energy level even higher. As singer Conrad Keely’s gravelly voice wailed about ‘the electric guitar hanging to his knees’ I couldn’t help but think that I’d never heard the song sound better. “Clair de Lune,” a ‘love song’ off of their Madonna record, showed the band’s equally impressive softer, melodic side. “Will You Smile Again For Me?” is a song that perfectly exemplified Trail of Dead’s epic sound. The song began with two minutes of frenzied, dual-drummer-led chaos, faded into an echoey, pleasant verse, and then gradually built back up to a breaking point. “A Perfect Teenhood” sent the rabid crowd into an agitation that required three burly security guards to pacify. Some of the other gems from the performance were “Another Morning Stoner,” “It Was There That I Saw You,” and “Totally Natural.”

The band played for well over an hour without wasting any time between songs. There was no encore, no other dramatics, and when the house lights came on after the last song I heard no complaints. It wasn’t because anyone wanted the show to come to an end – quite the opposite, in fact. I think many people were as exhausted as the band was - there is such a great shock value in seeing Trail of Dead for the first time. The band’s raw energy and angst fill their music with such a sense of urgency, yet there are subtle undercurrents giving the songs a romantic quality at the same time.

Trail of Dead is a band that makes you want to start a band. They bring a classic sound into modern times and prove that music can still be fun and meaningful, even when most of today’s popular music might suggest otherwise. I loved every second of this show. Bravissimo, boys. Come back any time.

Trail of Dead Official Website
Trail of Dead Myspace

Here are some more pictures from Friday night’s performance-