Question: how does one go about writing a concept album about the US Civil War?
Answer: make it epic, and loud.
Titus Andronicus make rabble-rousing punk rock, forged in New Jersey, and moulded into the crowd-pleasing form that presented itself to me last night in the bowels of Oran Mor, Glasgow.
Patrick Stickles led his band of revolutionaries through a smile-widening, ear splitting set list that took in the high points of The Airing of Grievances and The Monitor. At time sounding like The Pogues if they'd listened to Dischord Records growing up (the band admitted to a collective love of classic Scots rockers Big Country), at other times channeling the spirit of Springsteen - not, thankfully in the trite ways displayed by The Killers and, to a lesser extent, The Gaslight Anthem in recent years - they were never anything less than a thrilling prospect.
A word has to be saved for guitarist/violinist Amy Klein, who has to be the happiest band member I've seen in a long time, all blissed-out smiles and Tigger energy, and an absolute demon on guitar. Man, if I was in a band I'd have a Gibson SG as slung by Klein and Stickles last night. Cool as f.....ahem.
If I had to pick some highlights from a performance that was, quite frankly, full of high-energy from start to finish, I'd go for "Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ" which features the best "FUCK YOU" kiss-off you'll hear all year, "No Future", "Four Score and Seven" and of course "A More Perfect Union":
'Cuz tramps like us,
baby we were born to die......
