LIVE REVIEW: Texas is the Reason played their first and last ever Scottish show this week as part of their farewell tour. As much as I love them on record, on this showing they’re no Braid.
Texas is the Reason, in case you didn’t know, is a hugely influential emo / post-hardcore band from New York. They were actively mainly from 1994 to 1997 with brief reunions since then. Billed as their last ever tour, this Glasgow date was the first of the UK leg of the dates.
I’d been looking forward to the gig immensely, buying two tickets before I knew who else might come along with me! Before I write any further I’d like to make it clear that I always write from my gut feelings with no intention of being controversial or antagonistic to anyone. How much you enjoy a live show can be hugely subjective depending on a wide range of things.
My friends and I missed the support bands due to early doors at 6.30pm and not arriving until twenty minutes before the headliners walked on. One of them Lemuria are usually excellent and it was a shame to miss them. Definitely check them out. Edinburgh music collective Anti-Manifesto reviewed the gig and covered the supports in detail. It’s worth reading their take on the gig for a different perspective.
PAST THEIR PRIME?
Texas is the Reason walked onstage as a five minute instrumental finished up over the PA. They picked up their instruments, launched into two songs back to back. Or at least the bassist launched himself into the songs, the rest of the band looked tentative.
At the end of the two songs, a subdued cheer went out from the crowd. The kind of cheer that people make when they’ve hyped up a show in their mind but then it begins and doesn’t quite live up to the expectation.
Dinosaur Jr experienced the exact same response during their last Glasgow performance, mainly because everyone knows how amazing they can be and J Mascis sounded like he was going through a rehearsal.
This was no rehearsal. Texas is the Reason were soon going for it. It just didn’t sound right. Throughout the entire set the sound engineer was constantly moving throughout the crowd, listening to the sound from different locations and then making adjustments.
There’s only so much a sound engineer can do. Making a band sound super loud when the musicianship is not up to the task is possibly a double edged sword. I kept thinking it’s been ages since I heard an unsigned band with a bass sound that poor, yet this is a veteran professional touring band. On the occasional breakdown section where it was just drums and bass, it was horrifically awful. That the drums were almost behind the beat meant the driving energy I’d expect from bands of this genre simply wasn’t present.
Texas is the Reason have two main strengths which are their vocalist and their second guitarist. That’s what carries this band. It’s what gives them character.
Where last week Braid performed ‘Frame and Canvas’ live and made it sound infinitely superior to the album, at times last night I was wondering if I was listening to a Texas is the Reason cover band. This is the band Hundred Reasons were critically mauled for not sounding as good as? Christ, I can remember Hundred Reasons touring before they signed to Sony and they would have ripped this performance to shreds.
As a music fan, the more you’ve invested emotionally in a band’s music the more blind you become to their faults. Not unlike relationships in general.
If you’ve listened to Texas is the Reason on record a million times, just seeing them live at all last night might have been enough to send you into a state of nirvana.
As much as I love their songs, after Braid this set simply sounded OK at best by comparison. The kind of gig you know is 3/5 or 6/10 but if pushed you’ll give it a 7 on the basis that you enjoy the band’s music so much. Bearing in mind that numbers are meaningless anyway.
Texas is the Reason played everything you’d expect and didn’t drag it out with an encore. By the end, it was clear the show and the tour meant a lot to them. I loved seeing them and this farewell tour is an endearing love letter to fans. For that we can now rest and be thankful.
As Anti-Manifesto have said in their own review, huge kudos to Punk Rock Rammy for putting on these shows.
Hey – fair enough I thought they were aweome – sound at front was muddy but thought that was cause I was near a monitor. Crowd where I was seemed to be well into it and as you say band seemed to be touched. Shame I missed Braid – last time I saw them The Get Up Kids were supporting in Sleazy’s