A grey Monday evening in Derby kicked off a short tour for InMe, thankfully things were considerably more exciting inside the Venue (that is its actual name). The mainstays of the British rock scene set out to prove why they are such a dominant live force, and have a lot of fun while doing so.
The relaxed nature of the tour, which was booked simply for the sake of touring and playing live music meant that the band were able to perform some classic songs that hadn’t been brought out in a few years. The fact that the tour is only six days long (due to the fact that most of the band members work full time jobs as well as playing) also meant that the band were able to charge at the show with relentless urgency, knowing that they had the energy to expel.
InMe have always managed to bring strong support crews where possible, but the bill for this tour was one of the best yet with main support Press to Meco threatening to steal the show. The Croydon based Semi-punks have been receiving all manner of great press in recent times, for good reason as it turns out.
The band not only have a talent for wonderfully crafting harmonious melodies reflective of a nectar for the ears. They are also able to offset these melodies with riffs that remove any control audiences have over their own faces. The live sound is fantastically raw and packed with gusto, making it hard to stand still. This set managed to turn the entire into fans of the band almost immediately.
“Harmonious melodies reflective of a nectar for the ears”
Starting with ‘Faster the Chase’ was an immediate signifier that the set would be markedly different from recent tours. This also set the pace for an incredibly energetic set and warmed the crowd suitably. This energy continued with ‘Underdose’, and the ‘Reverie Shores’, despite the latter being released approximately ten years after the former both maintained an equally impressive bite that capture the attention of those willing to enough to go out in Derby on a Monday night.
A short interlude gave singer Dave McPherson a chance to remind the crowd that they’d be in the area soon as they had just been announced for Download Festival, it was evident that the band were excited about this news and couldn’t wait to get back to a major UK festival. This clearly gave the band a drive that made the show frankly spectacular. The band then explained that they were going to be playing a few songs that they hadn’t played in a while before tearing into ‘Soldier’ and ‘Ferocity in Desire’ neither of which had been played in roughly four years by this reviewer’s count.
‘Ferocity in Desire’ appeared more even more magnificently powerful than ever before and sparked memories of the opening of the band’s impressive Sonisphere 2011 set which packed out the third stage of the massive festival. By this point in the set the majority of the crowd were singing every word at full volume, and struggling to refrain from some violent head-banging. This only became more intense as the night went on. The space in The Venue hindered the development of any mosh pits or attempts at dancing, despite this the atmosphere remained unaffected with the crowd intent on enjoying the music.
The Venue truly is set apart from any other venue in the country, by its layout alone if nothing else. The Victorian rafters give the building a unique feel, but it’s the stage that makes The Venue so special. The stage itself is set on angle that makes it a corner, this gives fans a fantastic view of the band regardless of where they stand. InMe made great use of this ensuring to put on a full show for everyone in the room.
A few newer songs mixed into classics like ‘Safe in a Room’ and ‘Here’s Hoping’ filled out the set perfectly. The band closed the show with ‘Chamber’ and ‘Firefly’ giving fans one final chance to sing along before diving straight into the crowd and offering to go for drinks with anyone interested after the show.
Foregoing the potential encore was an uncommon but useful choice. Rather than mess around trying to get on and off stage the band used the time get an extra song into the set, something fans were clearly grateful for.
Liam Fleming
Images Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
