LAST TRAIN AT L'EPICERIE MODERNE IN FEYZIN
Tonight, was the first night of several things: a new festival around Lyon, La Messe de Minuit, for Last Train to play in their own festival, and for Last Train to also play on stage with their new album ‘The Big Picture’. This night was bound to be special.
First, I need to tell you about the amazing album that Last Train unveiled last week. “The Big Picture” is their second album, released after 3 intense years of touring all over the world. Yes, it has strong references to MUSE (Absolution and Origin of Symmetry eras), and even to Enter Shikari (check the intro of A Step Further Down), but it’s one of the best rock albums I’ve heard in a very long time in France. So yes, I was more than excited to see the band on stage tonight.
The first ones to open “La Messe de Minuit” ever were Night Beats. The Americans performed a solid hour long set in front of the busy and already very motivated crowd. The trio mainly played songs from their last two LPs, effectively warming up the public.
Last Train started their gig simply, with the same song that opens “The Big Picture”, ‘All Alone’. Tonight, was their own night. They played in front of their co-workers from the label Deaf Rock records, from the booking agency Cold Fame, and their families and friends from Lyon. The crowd was already ready to party before the first note of the guitar, to celebrate the beginning of what will certainly be a very successful tour. They prepared for this tour during the summer and it showed. The lights, the transitions, the acting on stage, the interactions with the public - everything was sharp and on point. Having all the technical aspects under control, the four guys were able to let their emotions run freely during the show. Several songs from this second album are wonderful tracks, starting slowly with emotion, and building up towards an explosive ending chaos, full of guitar distortions and reverberation. We are still waiting to hear ‘The Idea of Someone’ live, but the interpretation of ‘On Our Knees’ and ‘The Big Picture’ were superb. They ended the concert on the latter, alternating between chaotic turmoil and being seized with deep emotion. Their sincerity and feelings were obvious as they thanked the crowd gathered in front of the stage, several minutes after the end of the last song. It was definitely one of the most moving concerts I’ve been this year.