Lit - Get hot and sweaty in Reading!

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It's hot but it's not 'A Place in the Sun' !!! 

Lit **** hit the UK for an explosive show at the London, Koko last year, this was a really electrifying event. It makes you wonder why they have been gone from these shores for so long. Tonight they were packed into the hot venue of the Reading Sub89 to perform their classic album 'A Place in the Sun' plus added hits from their other albums and singles. 'A Place in the Sun' was the bands second album and for a lot of people their break through on the World's music scene being led by the singles 'Zip-Lock, Miserable' and the mega hit ''My own worst Enemy' which was originally released a massive fifteen years ago. Yes it doesn't seem like that long and it's really nice that the whole first set of the album was played in the order it appeared on the record.

Coming out to the first track on the album 'Four' must have felt like going back in time for the boys. This song clogs along as AJ bursts into life and you can instantly see why the band has had such longevity. I think maybe the next track has not been so early on in the bands performance before, being their biggest selling song!!!. 'My own worst Enemy' has a monster of a riff and you can see the happiness on everyone's faces as they break into the beginning lick. This is a real jump around track and you wonder how the floor of the Reading Sub89 can coup with the movement of the crowd.  

Sometimes I think you forget how much of a momentous album 'A Place in the Sun' actually was, It's sound for some reason even sets the period of time of it's release in 1999 perfectly. And when they played tonight songs like the half ballad 'Miserable' you are really taken back in time. This was a good era when so many great bands came out, like Buckcherry and Hardcore Superstar and even though Lit are more Pop Punk than these acts, they kind of fitted in perfectly. I think this might be because of their Rockabilly type image and edge, and the fact AJ looks slick with his Teddy Boy style hair cut, Punk type jacket and old style creepers which he was sporting tonight.

More uplifting songs like 'Zip-Lock' and 'Quicksand' give a chance for AJ's brother Jeremy to really come into life and go crazy on the guitar. It really show a great connection between the two Popoff brothers.You start to realise that this album isn't that long and most of the songs are actually quite short because your quickly at 'The Best is yet to come Undone' the penultimate song on 'A Place in the Sun' and there is only the title track left to go. The good thing was that everyone was having fun, even though the club was hot and sweaty and you felt like you were almost going to die.

The title track really brings the first part of the show to a great end and was as epic as it was when I first heard it all those years ago, so feels like an old friend coming back round to say hello. After they had played that definitive album they came back on for the encore which included the brilliant singles 'Over my Head, Lipstick and Bruises' and the closing number 'Something to Someone'. 

These three songs were some of the highlights of the encore and came from their follow-up to 'A Place in the Sun' entitled 'Atomic',  all these songs kept Lit at the top of their game. The encore was almost as long as the main set and also included the great song 'The Broken' which you can see in this clip below, where AJ is bare chested and still looking great!!! as all the girls fainted in the audience!!!.

Check Out! the band performing 'The Broken' and 'Over my Head' at the Reading Sub89 Below...

I am so glad I got to hear all these great songs in the order I first heard them on the record and I would so go and see Lit again. They put on a great live show full of energy and I think that too many people have over looked them, because of the size of the venue they are playing. I can't understand why Green Day and Blink 182 are so big in this country and Lit aren't because they sure put on an equally good, if not better show. So just go and see for yourself!!! you will love them.

Lit - Setlist
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Four 
My own worst Enemy 
Down 
Miserable 
No big Thing 
Zip-Lock 
Lovely Day 
Perfect One 
Quicksand 
Happy 
The Best is yet to come Undone 
A Place in the Sun 
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Too Fast for a U-Turn 
You Tonight 
The Broken 
Over my Head 
Happy in the Meantime 
Lipstick and Bruises 
The Wall 
Something to Someone 

Review by Clara Gardiner and photo's by Heather Lowe

Check Out! the Video for 'My own worst Enemy' Below...