The Ataris: powerful return for the emopunk legends
Photos by @tijsvl
The Meffs
I had heard about The Meffs, but that was about it. All of that changed this evening, and now their name and music is implemented in my brain. This two piece had the challenge of warming up the crowd for The Ataris. Not an easy task on a Tuesday evening. But they gave it their all and it paid off, eventually the band’s energy translated into the first moshpit of the evening. Singer Lily left no space on the stage unvisited during her many runs from left to right and back. As loud as she is charismatic, she got the nearly full O2 Academy in Islington singing along. And throwing in an excellent cover of Prodigy’s Firestarter was a good call, familiarity always works! The audience is finally ready for the main act!
The Ataris
Do The Ataris need an introduction? I don’t think so. Is this a comeback? I guess you can call it that. But were they ever really gone? Well, considering the last time they played the UK was in 2018, it was definitely time to come back to this side of the pond. Singer Kris Roe brought back the band in its most familiar lineup: Chris Knapp on drums, Mike Davenport on bass and John Collura on lead guitar. It’s no secret that the band has had a bumpy career, but all throughout the years they’ve kept a solid fan base and a legacy many bands can only dream of.
Most of the audience that was at O2 Islington were probably also at Slam Dunk in Hatfield just three days prior. But The Ataris are a band that works way better in a small setting (not that their set at Slam Dunk didn’t blow me away, it did!). And on today’s menu was a large portion of their biggest record So Long, Astoria with a side dish of my personal favorite: Blue Skies, Broken Hearts…Next 12 Exits.
In the spirit of true DIY, there were no roadies setting up the stage and instruments, it was the band members themselves. There were no dimming lights when the show was about to start, it was just Kris Roe saying “Okay, I think we’re ready.” And off we go! Kicking off with In This Diary, one of their many classics. Immediately setting the tone and making it clear that the people in London haven’t forgotten about The Ataris, as every line was being sung along word by word. Two more tracks from So Long, Astoria and everyone was loving it. Singer Kris Roe made a reference to the demolished London Astoria venue, where the band played numerous times. And while a setlist full of hits is always great, fans were lucky to hear the premiere of the brand new track titled Car Song. It’s usually difficult to throw a new song in the mix, but the crowd seemed to respond and appreciate it. Kris is sounding as good as ever! Let’s hope for much more new music!
The Ataris are well known for making killer covers, making songs sound at least as good as the original. Jawbreaker’s Boxcar definitely made for a great mosh pit! And not much later (and maybe the moment we had all been waiting for?) their biggest song The Boys Of Summer had crowd surfers going up, a large moshpit and beers flying around. You don’t see that at a Don Henley show. But as good as their covers are, they have more than enough fantastic songs of their own to play two back to back sets and still leave fans wanting more. So it’s a bit of a shame Kris spent quite some time telling lengthy stories in between. The talking definitely added personal character to the show and we all needed a moment to catch our breath, but some could argue it slowed things down a bit too much.
Having said that, it’s so good to have The Ataris back where they should be, sounding as good as ever, and we’re definitely looking forward to welcoming them back when they’re going to tour with their upcoming album, which is said to include another cover of classic, The Summer Of ‘69 by Bryan Adams.
Good Friend was the first band of the evening, however I couldn’t get to the venue on time to see them.