The Boxer Rebellion – Hare & Hounds

The Boxer Rebellion – Live

Hare & Hounds, 27/09/09

Following the successful digital release of their second album Union online, The Boxer Rebellion have recently re-released it in a physical format before embarking on a UK tour to showcase the album’s sonic songcraft.

Their appearance in Birmingham saw their tour in full swing and it seemed every part a victory march. Indeed the success of Union has only served to cement The Boxer Rebellion’s self-belief which transferred itself into an assured presence on the intimate stage of the Hare & Hounds.

Opener These Walls Are Thin set the mood of the evening as delayed guitars and transcendent vocals swarmed around the room. Their live shows have fast become a by-word for heart-felt intensity as Flashing Red Light Means Go feels even more urgent and energetic live than it does on record.

The band pulled out the old trick of each member dabbling on percussion at its start and finish, helping it to soar into an air of melancholic grace.

Material from their debut album Exits was equally well received, with tracks such as The New Heavy and Cowboys and Engines, mixing raw Muse with Cooper Temple Clause, taking on a new found lease of life.

Similarly, Flight was one of the evening’s highlights, upping the tempo even more as dramatic swathes of sound and echo-laden guitars pulsated along to driving bass and drums.

After finishing the set with Silent Movie there was a feeling that songs of such epic intensity deserve a larger stage and surely it can’t be long before this is the case.

By Jeremy Diaper