As the old saying goes the show must go on. And a few logistical challenges during the evening didn’t get in the way of a thoroughly enjoyable four-band bill at the Northumbria Institute.
Tonight both the bands appearing along with the packed out Tyneside crowd in attendance turn out to remember the late great Wayne Static from Static-X. And while the band’s fallen leader is now playing in the great gig in the sky, his former bandmates continue to carry on in his memory.
Of course, it’s never easy being the first band of the night, especially with such an early start time. But US-based quartet Dope proved to be dope by name and dope by nature. And due to some challenges with the start time the band’s truncated set just about gave the group a chance to give the Newcastle crowd a taste of what they were all about. The band played for roughly twenty minutes as the early birds ushered their way into the building. And set closer Die MF Die certainly hit the spot.
Today is the official start of gig season or Rocktober as it has been more commonly named. This month will also see Halloween in just a few short weeks. So what better way to start the month than with the Godfather of Ghoul himself Wednesday 13. With costume changes galore, including taking the part of the Devil himself, with his theatrical persona and arsenal of crowd-pleasing numbers Wednesday 13 proved to be the perfect precursor to the headline act.
Having recently appeared in the North East alongside Alien Ant Farm – Soil made a welcome return to Tyneside and certainly brought their fans out in tow. Frontman Ryan McCombs even managed to make his way into the middle of the crowd during an anthemic airing of Halo, whilst also orchestrating a circle pit in the centre of the room.
With a slightly later start time due to logistical challenges earlier in the evening Static X had no time to waste. Before the band took to the stage an atmospheric video played which portrayed vintage images of the band with Wayne, which in turn was a touching start to the proceedings.
The band’s current enigmatic frontman who presently remains nameless arrived bedecked masked and ready for duty grasping his Dean guitar. The mask in question resembling that of the band’s former frontman.
The show centred on the Wisconsin Death Trip record, with the lion’s share of the release featured. This being a rare airing of the band’s seminal release to mark the 20th anniversary of Static-X’s debut recording. The aforementioned album forming the vast majority of the setlist and judging by this performance the record has aged well.
Each of the band members towered over the crowd from risers on stage which in turn brought their fans that bit closer to the action. The group’s eighteen song set was brought to a close with an encore airing of Push It, which in turn brought the show full circle.
This show is a perfect tribute to the memory of Wayne Static, and also a fitting way to celebrate the milestone 20th anniversary of their debut release. Wayne may no longer be with us, but the musical legacy that he has left behind is in safe hands thanks to his former bandmates.
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