Mail music: Punk kids are really Sumthing special; SUM 41 Braehead, Glasgow February 3 ***.
Byline: STEVEN McCOMBEANY unsuspecting adults who might have been shopping at Braehead would have been forgiven for thinking they had stumbled on a pre- pubescent punk convention.
Canadian nu-metal band Sum 41 were in town and tiny moshers were out in force to enjoy an evening of frantic shouting, head- banging and jumping.
At times the standing area of Braehead Arena looked more like a playground than a concert venue but the boundless enthusiasm and vibrantly-coloured hair of the fans would bring a smile to even the harshest critic.
Sum 41 are one of the main bands who've brought about a resurgence in punk to the extent that it's become punk pop. Their music is nothing more than regurgitated rock, with all the same cliched guitar solos, satanic symbols and hair styles of yesteryear - but the kids love it.
The pace of the evening was as fast and furious as the music and when the distinctive guitar rift of Fat Lip kicked in, the Arena erupted. If there was a sport that entailed jumping up and down on the spot for prolonged periods these kids would win gold.
The band stormed through tracks such as In Too Deep and Rhythms from their hit album All Killer No Filler as well as tunes like Thanks For Nothing and All Messed Up from their follow-up, Does This Look Infected?
While Sum 41's songs all follow the same formula, in fairness, they do know how to rock - and how to get an audience to rock with them.
They kept the crowd's attention throughout, lead singer Deryck Whibley interacting with fans and cracking jokes. They even challenged one fan to a Western- style showdown before drenching him in water.
Their set finished just as frantically as it began. An entertaining night was polished off with current single, Still Waiting, before they came back on stage for a final encore.
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| Title Annotation: | Features |
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| Publication: | Sunday Mail (Glasgow, Scotland) |
| Date: | Feb 9, 2003 |
| Words: | 316 |
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