By Socialtornado
I've been promising Ann for a while that I'd go and see her and the boys do their thing after my failed attempt to see them at The Wheatsheaf a few weeks back. Well, tonight they were fairly local to me at The Fiveways in Stockport, so I thought it would be rude not to pop and see them - even if it did mean tearing myself away from Lord Of The Rings: FOTR on Channel 4 (that Viggo Mortenson is such a hunk lol).
I got to the venue about 10 mins before the band were due to start, introduced myself and had a quick ciggie with one of the guys and then they were on. The crowd was too tough to call. Some young uns, some rockers, some locals and plenty of family and friends (always the harshest critics!). A fairly decent crowd of about 40-50 people, all paying attention.
For those not familiar with 5th Element, they play rock of the classic variety interspersed with more modern rock tracks. A 5 piece band with a female vocalist, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass and drums.
From the off, you sensed that these guys and gal knew what they were doing. A very polished sound; strong vocals and thumping bass with drums right in the mix and guitars pitched just right. A few tweaks required here and there, but overall it was good, with everything coming at just the right levels.
Track after track, the band solidly delivered. Through AC/DC, Billy Idol, The Kinks, Bon Jovi and even Nirvana and Blink 182. Ann has a fantastic set of lungs on her - and (possibly a first for me) there's no innuendo behind that. Boy can she sing! And she's got the patter too. The audience were lapping it up. And the band seemed to enjoy the night. Too often nowadays you see bands going through the motions....not with these guys. If I'd spotted a tambourine, I swear I'd have been up there with them, so infectious was their enthusiam. Two encores and people still calling for more should tell you all you need to know about the crowds reaction.
I can't go through the whole review blowing smoke, so if I had to pick one teeny tiny criticism (and it's so tiny as not to matter, but I'm terribly hard to please) I would maybe cut down on some of the twiddly lead guitar endings. Everyone loves them, but I do find they get a bit tedious.
So I've waffled on enough now. I shall leave you with a video taken from my iPhone but to be honest, the sound quality does not do them justice. Well played guys. Top, top gig and a really nice bunch of people too. I hope I get to see them again soon.
8.5/10 (maybe a 9 if you'd played Thunderstruck all the way through you big teases!)
Much love
ST