Love amongst Ruin - Complexed beautiful Rock songs!!!

****

Their musicianship is simply incredible

Love amongst Ruin **** are opening up tonight, consisting of course Steve Hewitt (Ex-Placebo / Six by Seven) who's project it is and Gizz Butt (The Prodigy / Janus Stark). This is different from when I last saw them play at the London, Borderline, where they had a full band line-up and where promoting their first self-titled album. I think Gizz is just a touring musician with him, looking at the Wikipedia for the project and that he plays with various friends and family members. So I don't know if Love amongst Ruin is Steve Hewitt and friends, but he does say he is working on a new third album and I think he hinted that he had been working with Gizz. 

If he isn't I really think he should, because they really have a nice onstage connection that comes out in their set tonight. Opening the set with 'Lose your Way' the single off the EP of the same name, which is great single, they get things off in the right way. The song takes me a minute to recognise, because their set is acoustic and they have added so many nice elements to it to make it sound right done in this way. You do notice they don't play the singles 'Home' or 'Alone' tonight, but as support they only have so long and they are concentrating I think now more on their new material. Like the song 'Dreams' which is the atmospheric dreamscape of a song, where they say "I was having some Led Zeppelin moments during that song, think that took me to another place!".

It was Steve's birthday the night before, and Gizz makes everyone sing 'Happy Birthday' to him twice during the bands performance. Saying the second time "Have we done Happy Birthday to Steve yet!!!", I think he does this twice, because he also says earlier that they almost didn't make tonights performance because they where in a bad way from the night before. Like he was so wasted, he couldn't remember if he had done it yet. Their are so many nice moments in their set, like the intricate guitar work from Gizz which he really plays up to the crowd with. With nice movents of himself and the guitar and his plucking at the strings action, he runs different sounds through his effects box to crate string sounds that sound so amazingly good. Also the reworkings of songs like 'Truth' of the first record, which have been given more dimensions. Makes you wonder if he wanted to record them this way in the first place, and regretted they didn't.

If I had to say their was a low point to their performance, I think it would be that at times you can't hear some of the vocals clearly... but I think that is a setup problem. Not a problem that the band themselves has caused, this seems to get fixed near the end of their set. Also I think the fact they didn't make the venue all seated for this show, with it being acoustic effects some of the atmosphere in the room... which feels really big and daunting at itme. I also think the fact that the venue is only half full for their performance, with people turning up late has effect their set somewhat. I think this is real a shame, because Steve and Gizz really put their heart and soul into their performance, and it's not fair that people can't be bothered to turn up on time to see the opening act that Paul Draper really wanted people to see.

My personal favourite in the set is the single 'So Sad (Fade)' off the first album, maybe this is because I played this album loads when it first came out... so if I knew the new songs better maybe this one wouldn't be my favourite. Some of the guitar work on the new material is so great, that in time I know they will grow on me. Ending the set with a Six by Seven cover, the band Steve Hewitt once played in. And strangely he already covered the song 'So Close' before he was even in the band, shows how some actions lead to other actions. Quite a few people in the audience seem to know this track, and the vocals are the best they have been all night. So this makes it a good one to end their set on, and makes you sad they are ending their performance. I think the duo really won some people over tonight, their connection and friendly banter with the audience really made them appealing and an act I will go back to listining to again.

Review by Dan Devour and Photo's by Dezadie

Love amongst Ruin - Setlist
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Lose your Way
Away from Me
Paper Tigers
Truth
Dreams
Watch Myself
Menace Ballad
So Sad (Fade)
So Close (Six by Seven Cover)

Check Out! the Video for 'Lose your Way' Below...