Switches HOB Review
Friday, June 13, 2008
By Aaron Keker
HOUSE OF BLUES, Chicago – Last evening, Switches opened for She Wants Revenge on the Nylon Magazine Music Tour at the House of Blues in Chicago, Illinois.
The moment the British lads entered the stage, they received a large ovation from the audience.
Switches opened their performance with the catchy tune “Message from Yuz,” which included a sing along by the semi-filled audience.
Switches gracefully blew through each song on their set list as they performed some of their biggest hits like “Every Second Counts,” “Drama Queen” and “Lay Down the Law.”
They even performed “No Hero” from their U.K. album titled Heart Tuned to D.E.A.D. (Bonus Track Version), which is available to U.K. iTunes users.
I have to say that I really enjoyed Switches’ performance that evening and in my opinion they even outperformed another band that followed shortly after them. No, I am not talking about She Wants Revenge. I am talking about Be Your Own Pet.
In fact, there were other individuals situated near me that disliked their music too. If Switches had the audience size of Be Your Own Pet, they would have received a larger ovation than them. That is how much the Chicago audience enjoyed watching Switches. In my opinion, Switches should be performing at least the second or third spot and Be Your Own Pet should be opening the show.
However, Switches should have stripped down one of their songs acoustically like they did when they played several acoustic shows in California and Texas. The acoustic sound would have brought another feel to the already energized audience. Who knows the audience might have even cheered louder?
Finally, I interviewed Matt Bishop, Thom Kirkpatrick and Ollie Thomas from Switches right before the show and they informed me that when the tour concludes, they will be working on their next album. Even though there are no album or song titles yet, I am interested in how their next album will sound. If it has as much enthusiasm as Switches debut album Lay Down the Law and their concert performance, it should be another really good album.
Hopefully, their new album will include an acoustic song. Guys, you did not strip any songs down acoustically in Chicago, but it is not too late to do it before your concert schedule concludes? Below is the set list from Switches’ performance at the House of Blues in Chicago.
House of Blues Set List:
- “Message from Yuz”
- “Snakes & Ladders”
- “No Hero”
- “Coming Down”
- “Lovin’ It”
- “Every Second Counts”
- “Drama Queen”
- “Lay Down the Law”
