Review: The Last Internationale, Exchange

The Exchange has been doing a great job bringing genuinely new & exciting acts to the city, and arguably the best is yet to come with a cracking set of shows lined up between now and Crimble (check the menu here, and if the line up for November 15th doesn’t give you a riff-stiffy then you’re dead from the neck down). Fresh from a well received set at Leeds Festival along with several headline shows, The Last Internationale gave a pummelling supercharged performance for sure, but what makes them new & exciting? Well the obvious difference from their contemporaries is the socially conscious lyrical thrust of the majority of their material: TLE are representative of an endangered species, the political rock band.

The set opened with just Delila Paz covering Mahalia Jackson’s I’m Gonna Live the Life I Sing About in My Song, a bold statement of intent and one that she carried off immaculately. Swapping acoustic for bass, she was joined by Edgey Pires on guitar and Fern Sanchez on drums as the band powered in to their set. The first few numbers revolved around a sixties power-trio sound (imagine Blue Cheer covering the MC5 with Grace Slick on vocals) delivering righteous messages on big issues as well as dealing with personal & gender politics. Just how serious they are could be judged by the hand-written slogan on Pires’ guitar “Refugees Welcome”, a provocative statement given the current right-wing hysteria, scapegoating and shit-stirring currently blighting our green and pleasant land.

After the thunderous opening, the band changed pace mid-set with We Will Reign segueing in to Wanted Man. To be fair, it’s this more nuanced style of song that will win over a mainstream audience. The full on rifferama is fantastic live and manna for the converted, but the sophistication of the two tunes mentioned left much more of a lasting impression. Incidentally it was then that the band’s desire to involve “the people” led to an invitation for backing singers resulting in Big Jeff joining the peoples’ chorus for some surprisingly tuneful vocals – to the delight of crowd and band, and his own sweetly evident pleasure.

The set ramped up again for the second half, Pires throwing shapes constantly – hurling himself around the stage and battering the strings to supplement the riffs & solos with primal feedback. The encore was inevitable, and as the band had finished the main set in a squall of feedback and thunderous drums, with Paz flat on her back and Pires in the crowd it was difficult to see how they’d top the crescendo. A semi-acoustic, slow paced My My Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) solved the dilemma with a satisfying crowd singalong.

If the band can build on the foundation of their first album, then the next will be a corker and the accompanying tour will be a must-see. Power to the people.

Pic credit: Aidan Naughton