Titus Andronicus
Titus Andronicus, from New Jersey in the USA, are a five piece band comprising: Patrick Stickles (vocals,guitar, harmonica), David Robbins (keyboard , guitar), Amy Klein (guitar, violin), Ian Graetzer (bass guitar) and Eric Harm (drums, vocals). Having formed in 2005, the band has seen changes in line-up, but have stayed the course and released two albums.
Titus Andronicus
An unrelenting angst flows through the music, which reflects their nihilistic and uncompromising perspective on life. While they are seen by some as antagonistic and wallowing in despair, I think this is to completely miss the value of their output.
The Celtic flow to the beat and superb rhythm changes are not an accident, but show a band who take their music seriously and as importantly have the skills to generate what on the surface sounds to be a state of hysteria, yet control the sound superbly.
It takes some strength of composition capability to run tracks as long as eight and a half minutes and retain interest and direction, a feat Titus Andronicus handle with ease. I am reminded of many of the bands I enjoy listening to, including The Pogues and UK Subs.
I found it absolutely impossible to sit through any of their output without being drawn in with a smile and a few pogo jumps around the room.
On tour in the UK during November 2010 and two nights in Eire, this is a band well worth getting out to see.
The album Monitor, released this year, is a good starting place to get to know the band better, available from *
.
Join our newsletter to keep up to date with gig dates around the world.
