Gig: Rise Against @ O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London
Rise Against by Anne Pfalzgraf
Rise Against headed to Europe and the UK to play four intimate performances in Budapest, Milan, Manchester and London, which was the last show of the short run and took place at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 21st August – delivering a powerful performance filled with their punk ethos, raw emotions, chunky riffs and big choruses.
Trash Boat
Joining the Chicago-based group for the UK shows was the British punk rock quintet Trash Boat. They opened the evening with loads of energy and got the crowd hyped up quickly, even though their set was short and sweet. It didn’t take long for the audience to start dancing and moshing along to the band’s upbeat sound, mixed with soaring riffs and gritty vocals – leaving everyone sweaty and excited for the main act.
Rise Against
With the lights dimming, the excitement in the room rose as Rise Against entered the stage to the intro of Satellite before seamlessly transitioning into the song. The crowd were swept off their feet immediately and screamed the lyrics back to the band at the top of their lungs. The punk rockers played a good mix of their discography with a focus on their older songs and slowed it down with acoustic renditions of ‘Hero Of War’ and ‘Swing Life Away’ during which Tim McIlrath sliced up his pinkie while ripping the guitar solo. Picking up the energy again, they finished their set with crowd-favourite ‘Prayer Of The Refugee’ which saw loads of crowd surfers making their way to the sage. After a brief break, the band came back, and Tim McIlrath expressed the band’s gratitude. Even though it has been their first time headlining the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, it was not their first time being there as they saw Chris Cornell play the venue many years ago. They played a few more songs before sending everyone off with ‘Saviour’ which saw the floor turn into one big mosh pit.
