Runaway GO at Animal Disco
Auntie Annies, Belfast
Friday 23rd September 2011
Runaway GO have been a staple component of the Northern Irish music scene for several years, under several different monikers. While always boasting an incendiary live show, their sophisticated stadium-sized rock had always remained slightly overlooked. That is until now.
Having gained an overwhelming amount of momentum in the past year, they have become one of the biggest draws in Belfast. You only have to look around you at the amount of fans who have packed themselves into every possible space available in Animal Disco, and the ruckus they create as the band take to the stage.
The opening gambit is led by debut single ‘Alligator’, with the rhythm section offering up a supercharged beat, before vocalists Jackson and O’Kane pour on those heart breaking melodies. From then on, all eyes are on the stage. With every sonic peak and startling break, the audience is hooked on every twist turn the band makes.
There’s a mutual sincerity coming from both the crowd and the group itself: every member of the audience shows unfiltered support and admiration for the group, particularly during the chorus of ‘Delicate Man’, and the humble 5-piece are visibly aghast at the response.
Finishing their first set with a second rendition of ‘Alligator’, they are soon ordered back to the stage to play a sizeable encore. ‘Big Cities’ gets a welcome response, but it’s the sweeping “Wide Awake” that proves to be the real show stealer; a chant along coda claiming the same epic grandeur of U2’s “40” ensures a triumphant close to the evening.
Through steely determination, they have at last scaled the local mountain and have more than earned their reputation as one of the tightest bands in Belfast. Kagura, Phoenix Fire, runaway GO- regardless of their moniker, one thing remains certain: this unit do not play a bad gig. They have now gained the local attention they truly deserve, and runaway GO’s momentum will no doubt continue to snowball. Let’s hear it for the underdogs.
Chris Johnson
Comment number 1.
At 11:51 3rd Oct 2011, newiphone5 wrote:I went couple of hours from Limerick, up to Belfast, just for these guys.I was great performance and atmosphere as well.Who was not there, just search for some videos on youtube.,uploaded now.
Dave
iPhone 5
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