Nightmare Of You
Live at Joseph's Well on Monday, 7th November 2005
Nightmare Of You are going to be so huge it doesn't bear thinking about. If mine and literally anyone else who's thus far come into contact with Long Islands Nightmare Of You predictions are correct tonight will have been one very special and significant show indeed. Right now NOY's British esteem hasn't exactly appeared on the radar yet but come '06 all that will surely change if their live performance and sublime debut record are anything to go by. For this evening, this fact is both a blessing and a curse. Nightmare Of You should be highly commended for even taking the timeout to play this string of shows on our shores knowing what a comparative unknown quantity they are right now. Everyone else's loss is the 100 or so attendees gain as this music will one day be filling out arenas all over the globe. It just begs to be sang in an anthemic chorus unity of vocalist and fan and something will indeed be wrong if this prophecy eventually proves untrue. Of the 3 bands on the undercard only one is worth a mention. Main support is provided by moody angular Blood Brothers types Elle Milano, who triumph where the other two failed in actually getting some people to watch. The vocalist attired in ironic (I hope) spray tagged 'Big Fucking Rock Star' white tee and female perma-sullen swaying bassist combining to unleash track after track of engaging post punk. Could be worth keeping an eye on. Nightmare Of You are the main attraction however and the intimacy of the whole show makes the set all the more special, every single song is lovingly re-created and sang back by the select few who've somehow picked up a copy of the record (:cough: downloaded :cough:) and the band, especially front man and former Movielife guitarist Brandon Reilly, seem genuinely touched by the reception and the feeling is very much recipucated. Reilly's transition from anonymous post-hardcore guitarist to front man with the faux-camp stage moves of a young Perry Farrell is nothing short of a miracle. Maybe these shows were necessary to hone his skills before the widespread attention is lauded upon him but whatever the case this guy is gonna be a star sooner rather than later. The album is one long string of impossible to pin down emotional guitar highlights and the show follows suit but from opener 'The Days Go By Oh So Slow', through acoustically led 'Thumbelina', to potential singles 'I Want To Be Buried In Your Backyard' & 'Why Am I Always Right?' and the absolute centrepiece of a song that WILL BREAK the band -'My Name Is Trouble' and concluded with the beautiful 'Heaven Runs On Oil' - it's a headline set that could not be more poignant and one which, when Nightmare Of You are selling out arenas, will be looked back upon with great fondness. Nightmare Of You are going to be huge, you have been warned.
