PROTEST THE HERO

Last night I saw Protest the Hero at Cowboys in London. I believe they're in Toronto right now doing another show so I hope there are some fans out there making it to that event.This is the band that I've seen the most often, probably around 3 times.The first time I saw them was at a smaller venue in Burlington. There was a very long line-up and they just announced that the venue was at capacity so we drew Xs on our hands and snuck in through the back smoking area. They were playing with Dead and Divine which is a local band that the members of one of the public high schools in my town attend (or used to). Dead and Devine was fine, there has been a rivalry with that band and a few of my own friend's bands named Tera Firma, which has disbanded as of now, so I was reluctant to enjoy them too much. Protest went on and it was great, they were promoting Kezia and a few older songs such as No Stars Over Bethlehem. The crowd however was younger, mostly 'scene' kids which equalled no mosh pitt. Rody had great quality singing but the guitar I feel needed a little more work. I understand that the music was composed at well above their skill level so they had to really work hard to learn and match their album quality. Overall good performance and I got to touch Rody's butt which was super neat. Next time I saw them was in Toronto, not sure where (I think it may have been the Opera House). They were playing with I Hate Sally and Human Abstract. I Hate Sally was alright. Lead singer was a girl, which was a nice change from the usual male dominated audience and bands. She was just as profane, asking us how to get jizz stains out of her clothing. So she puts out and sings in a screamo band, which I'm sure was meant to please the guy fans. The band was nothing special though. Human Abstract however was incredible. It was the first time I had heard of them and they really blew me away, probably because the melodic metal elements, great singing, which was more masculine that most of the bands that sing in this style and great audience interaction. After their performance I decided to support them and buy their Nocturne Album, which has proved to be even better quality. I recommend checking them out. Then Protest came on and although the guitar and drum-work had improved greatly since I saw them last, Rody was obviously inebriated. This disappointed me greatly but I decided to make up for it with a few red-bull vodkas and moshing, which I lost a shoe in exchange for. I'm glad that I got to discover a new band out of it though.So that brings me to the event that I attended last night. It was my birthday and the day I had my last exam so it was a bit of a triple entendre. Got into the venue (Cowboys) and went upstairs to watch and listen to the first band which was called Lights. They covered a few Hilary Duff songs which electronic keyboard, drums and a female singer of course. Not to my taste and I found it hard to come to terms with the band since there was absolutely no guitar. I was expecting a different kind of introduction to Protest but I realized it was a nice change. She had a great voice too. After Lights was From First to Last, which I hadn't had the time to indulge in before the concert so this was my first experience with them. They were very good, their performance was also very audience engaging = points. My favourite was the keyboardist Chris Lent who has long hair and took advantage of it with constant head banging and whirling. Entertaining! Protest came on and by that time I had had a few birthday drinks so the experience was enhanced somewhat. Limb from Limb was played and I headed straight to the mosh pitt, which was intense because there were so many people in such a small venue. I also had heels so that helped me to kick ass. Went back up, had some drinks and dragged my friend down for Turn Soonest to the Sea, obviously a great crowd pleaser. Very good experience and I received minimal injuries thankfully. The last song had the introduction to These Colours Don't Run, which I found was an interesting (and excellent) choice as it helped to see who knew it and may have been a fan since day one. Rody had significantly improved in his singing. Apparently he's made an effort to sober up and perform well, although he was out of breath for many of the songs. The guitar was great, solos especially. Overall good experience. After the show I got to meet them backstage. I really liked Arif and respect him for writing and composing many of the songs/lyrics. I complimented his choice of intro on the last song and he really got into it joking that it helped him weed out the real fans. We talked for a while, really nice guy, very genuine and involved. I met Tim briefly also. Rody came out but seemed less tolerant of the fans swarming them. I also tried to talk to him on his choice of songs but he was distant and uninvolved in any conversations he was having. He went back to his girlfriend and they left. A little disappointed in his involvement with his fans. They went to the Salt Lounge bar but we decided to go to the bar across the street (Brass Door) since the crowd mainly consisted of swarming fans and there was another very good band playing there called Black Belt Jones. They are a cover band worth checking into live because they bring their own touch into every song. Very audience involved and loves to talk to every single person after or during breaks at their performance.Overall great night for Protest and I want to congratulate them on improving, Rody getting sober and the band really hitting it to the audience. I plan to see Protest again if they tour another time. Thanks for a great birthday!