Letlive have been building quite a reputation for themselves, so it came as a bit of a surprise that they were following up their festival season with three gigs in Scotland, but then there was quite a lot we did not know about Letlive and the gig at the Ironworks on the 4th of September offered us the opportunity to know more about the band and whether we had to believe the hype.
We estimated over a hundred folk had gathered to see the Americans play, but prior to the main event we had the support in the form of Toby Michaels and Last Summer Effect. Both no strangers to the metaphorical pages of invernessGiGs.
Toby’s set was predominantly covers including Linkin Park, although it was the interaction with the audience and the theatrical, Jack Black, style that felt more confident and as a result created the best set that we have seen from Toby. By the time of the self penned “A Little Bit of What you Fancy”, we suspect a few new fans had been wan over.
The Last Summer Effect were a strong addition to the line up creating a far more main stream rocky edge to the line-up. Chris Smith’s stage persona complete with his Americanised accent, made our mind wander to the rock clubs of New York, given the headliners. The enthusiasm from the band, even prior to the gig, was clear, and kudos has to go to the Ironworks for giving them the opportunity which they clearly lapped up.
We had anticipated a triumphant set from Letlive, however the resultant set provided something far more special and personal. A 45 minute set blew away expectations and anticipation with one of the most genuine and sincere sets we have heard for sometime. Described as an American progressive post-hardcore band, it would be fair to place emphasis on hardcore.
Jason Butler has been getting a lot of attention at the moment and of course being named number 1 in Kerrang’s The 50 Greatest Rockstars In The World Today. So what of Jason? His voice held strong through out showing a good range, creating a perfect amplification of emotion with a stunning show of tenderness. There were splatters of ,dare I say, a commercial sound, but they were well hidden.
The charisma on show was overwhelming, Jason expressed his gratitude to the crowd on several occasions and taking his time to explain his Scottish roots. There was a clear relationship and whilst the conservative nature of Inverness crowds was retained for the most part, this did not hide the appreciation for the band.
Letlive’s appearance at the Ironworks will live with us, and I suspect for most of the people that shared the experience, for sometime. For those that did not, believe the hype.
