Words by Jamie Reynolds / Photos by Marcus Maschwitz

I’d been looking forward to tonight for way too long now but with City and Colour playing in the beautiful Royal Albert Hall I knew it would be worth the wait.

Unfortunately the evening started off stress-fully when TFL decided to suspend my tube line in due to “signal failure” again. I rushed to the nearest train station and made my way to Victoria Station where I took advantage of a “Boris Bike” and cycled my brains out in a hurry passed Buckingham Palace and through Hyde Park conveniently parking right outside the venue. This all caused me to miss the opening act, James Vincent McMorrow, but to be honest it was actually one of the nicest ways to arrive at a show … things like this remind me of why London is so special.

I pretty much walked in and made my way to my seat just in time for the dimming of the lights and Dallas walking out to start the set with Forgive Me with his band. It’s immediately evident that tonight is going to be special and each song gets better and better as they go along. Dallas is then left to sing alone for a few tracks and I cannot convey what this sounded like but it blew me away that in a venue so big one single person can stand on a stage, acoustic guitar in hand, singing and everyone sits down listening without making a sound. I’m not sure if I have seen that before … wow.

They change up between Dallas playing solo and with the band and they make their way through the perfect collection of tracks including the latest single, Fragile Bird, but my favourites have to be Waiting, Like Knives, What Makes A Man, Comin’ Home and a cover of Adele’s Hometown Glory. The groups of crying girls around me seemed to agree … go Dallas!

City and Colour has always kept me excited and after seeing them play at the Forum last year I didn’t think they would be able to step it up … I was wrong … In a BIG way. I am sad that tonight is over and the only thing keeping me excited is knowing that their new album, Little Hell, releases shortly. Make sure to get on that.

True beauty …

Setlist: Forgive Me, The Death Of Me, Waiting, Fragile Bird, Sam Malone, As Much As I Ever Could, Like Knives, Body In A Box, O’ Sister, Hometown Glory, What Makes A Man, Silver And Gold, Sleeping Sickness, Happiness By The Kilowatt, Comin’ Home, Sometimes (I Wish)

Words by Jo Dodge/ Photos by Marcus Maschwitz

As the lights dim, the crowd eagerly await the arrival of Canadian rockers Alexisonfire as they are about to grace the stage. Returning to London for their UK headline tour in well over a year they individually face the packed out crowd and as the drum beat and guitar rhythms begins it is greeted with enthusiastic claps and cheers. Last to enter the scene is screamer George and he is met with a mighty applause as they charge in to Young Cardinals. As expected the floor quickly transforms into moving mayhem with hands waving everywhere. This is only increased with their next songs, old favourites from album Crisis including Mailbox Arson, Boiled Frogs, We Are The Sound and Drunks, Lovers, Sinners And Saints which definitely raises the temperature and the atmosphere. With it only being five minutes into their set George is already against the barrier throwing out his microphone to every fan, encouraging them to sing – that which they are more than happy to oblige.

Interacting with the crowd is something that comes naturally to this band, all members have a presence and give their all on stage, whether it be jumping around with a guitar or beating up a drum kit it is clear that they love what they do. The dynamics of voices within the band, George’s gritty screams, Wade’s graveling voice and Dallas’s chillingly clean vocals only heighten their performance and the energy they possess on stage. Even songs from Old Crow/Young Cardinals are recited back just as well as the older songs and during Sons Of Privilege George splits the crowd in half, one side singing “Lost though you are free” along with Wade and the other half singing “In America” along with Dallas. As the crowd battle each other to see who can impress them the most George gazes forward astounded by the response. Also amongst their set they include calmer songs such as Rough Hands and old classic Control in which Dallas’s voice resonates around the venue. Here you can feel the emotion they pour into the songs and the crowd are screaming at the top of their lungs knowing every line.

When introducing their next song, Dog’s Blood, from their new E.P it receives a cheer and almost everyone knows “In dogs blood we will all drown”, as if it was from their older albums. The set list shows their progression as a band over the years, containing old and new songs, either way it is greatly accepted by the crowd. Blasting through This Could Be Anywhere In The World, the floor is still in motion and over far too quick for the crowd to comprehend. An encore of chants and feet stomping follows and as soon as the band finally come back on stage the crowd are hyped and already screaming for more.

They open their encore with The Northern where the emotive harmonies become haunting and Dallas’s voice becomes eerie during the stripped down section. It is when they play ancient song 44. Caliber Love Letter that George jumps, punching his fists into the air and lets the audience scream “This is a 44. Caliber love letter straight from my heart” to which every single hand is in the air and mimicking him. As it finishes the entire crowd applauds and as the intro for Accidents begins the room explodes and during George’s verse bodies are flying to the front of the stage as if he is compelling them. By the time Dallas begins the chorus the crowd turn into a choir and echo everything back to them. The highlight was when George returns to the crowd for “Let’s redefine what it means to heal” and becomes a walking monster inflicting chaos.

Restriction is definitely not in George’s vocabulary as he charges into his fans, causing a wave of excitement clambering amongst them as they try to grab and pull him in any direction they can. He disappears in to the crowd blending in with his fans and the room is pushing and shoving as everyone tries to reach him. Like a man possessed he makes his way to the staircase, as if on a sea of hands and is helped up by a security guard to meet the seated ecstatic fans on the balcony. Causing a stir, fans hysterically mob him for photos, handshakes, hugs any proof that they were in reaching distance of him. All the while Dallas and Wade are continually singing and are now playing Happiness By The Kilowatt. Even amongst the chaos fans are singing along to the extended version and George returns to finish his final screams. Graciously he thanks the crowd, overwhelmed by the support before the entire band shuffle off stage to a stunned crowd who are in owe to their brilliance and are wanting a second encore. I’m sure every person who was there, when they next listen to an Alexisonfire CD will be wishing they could re live this night and witness it all again.

Words by Brendan Monteiro / Photo’s by Marcus Maschwitz

City and Colours’ Dallas Green sits in a corner sofa upstairs at the Forum, inside the confounds of the little room he tells of the troubles and tribulations as well as the joys of being out on the road with not only one, but two successful bands. Stardom has most definitely not got to Dallas’ head, he’s soft and humble and just generally the nicest guy you could meet. In this interview we tried to find out a little bit more about the man behind City and Colour, what we learned however is there is way more to Dallas Green than you could have ever imagined.

City and Colour is a very clever way of hiding your own name in the band name, I only realised it a week ago so how many people are in the dark about the actual meaning of the name?

It’s Ok nobody has ever figured it out. You know when you have to go and apply for something and somebody is filling in a form and they ask you your first name, last name and date of birth? Well they said first name and I said “Dallas” and they said last name and I said “Green”, then they said “with an E on the end” and I replied “no, it’s just like the colour, like the city and the colour”. I did that a few times when I was younger and when it came time to put out my record I knew I wasn’t going to call it Dallas, I wanted to call it something else. I just thought that sounds kind of cool and is still sort of my name and that way it never has to be the Dallas Green band, no matter what I want to do with it. I can do whatever I want with, I can bring in a thousand musicians or I can just play by myself.

It really is a great way to be able to name your band.

Well thanks to my parents for giving me a good enough name that I could do that.

Your parents named you after a baseball icon if I’m correct?

Yeah, Dallas Green

Ok so both names are the same, from what I got from it was that it was just your first name.

No his last name was Green as well, same as mine. That is why my Dad named me Dallas because it was totally after him.

It must be nice to have some sort of heritage behind your name.

Yeah it is and actually a friend of mine just got me a baseball bat signed by Dallas Green as a gift.

That must be a really cool addition to the mantlepiece.

It blew my mind because I never thought of reaching out and trying to get something of his like that. He was actually a player before he was a coach and it’s just awesome.

Your in two bands that are both doing extremely well, how hard is it to juggle those with married life?

It’s very difficult, mostly in the last few years it’s gotten a lot more difficult. I have been doing it for about 5 years now but the last 2 years is where City And Colour has kind of turned into it’s own thing. The first few years I didn’t really do much with it but put that first record out. Since I’ve brought Bring Me Your Love out I have found myself living 2 lives and then a year ago I got married so now it’s I have City And Colour, I have Alexisonfire, I have my marriage and I have just myself. So I have these 4 lives that I have to somehow find time to do and I think I am kind of on the verge of a nervous breakdown but I’m trying my best to do it all so we will see what happens. Maybe I’ll go crazy, spend some time in a hospital and then write a record about that.

With that there must be a lot of responsibility on your shoulders.

Yeah.

Not only to your wife but to the fans too.

Exactly, thats the thing, the reason why it’s gotten more complicated is because I feel so obligated. I feel obligated to go and play for people who have show so much attention, who have been so involved emotionally and invested their time into City And Colour. I feel like I need to show them some attention just as they have shown the music attention. With Alexis we tour so much so it’s hard for me to do that. It’s a wonderful suprise but it’s something that I never dreamed of. I never thought I would be able to play in one band that people liked let alone 2.

And possibly a third in the future.

Yeah, you never know, I might start something with my wife.

So would I be right in thinking that City and Colour is a lot more personal to you?

Yeah City And Colour is defintely more a personal diatribe where I can write about anything. With Alexis we write the songs so collaboratively that it ends up being just that, a collaboration. There is definitely topics that I just wouldn’t ever bring and there’s lyrics that I write that I would just never bring into an Alexis song. Because of the fact that we all sing them together I could never ask George to sing about something that was personal to me, just like he wouldn’t do that. That is why we try to come up with the topics together and write our own lyrics based on the subject that we decided to write the song about.

The lyrics to City and Colour seem a little dark at times and you can get a sense of the pain that your talking about whereas Alexis seems a little more broader.

With Alexis it’s experiences and more observational views of things going on in the world, that’s sort of what Alexis is and we write about the things that we have experienced together and that frustrate us or affect us as a whole. It tends to be a little less personal, it’s still very personal and the songs do mean a lot to us but we tend to write something that as a group we all understand.

You mentioned having 4 lives, what keeps you sane on tour?

I have no idea, lately it’s been nothing and I have just been losing my mind. I love skateboarding and I have been skateboarding my whole life. I do that as much as I can but at the same time if I hurt myself I am kind of fucked. I’m sort of weary of that because about 6 years ago I was on tour and broke my ankle and then had to wear a cast on tour. I read and I try to write, that’s another thing, I listen to the music and try to write on tour and that helps keep me sane.

You don’t like to skate on tour because of the worry of hurting yourself on tour and disappointing people but how how is it when tours are taking you around the world past some of the most famous skate venues in the world?

Yeah like I still do, I have never brought my skateboard over here and I don’t know why. It’s probably because I know that there is so much to explore that I will go out and won’t come back. The other day we were in Denver and Denver has this public skatepark. We were 3 blocks away from it and I was like “I have to go over there, it’s like right there!”. So I went over and almost missed the meet and greet that we had to do. The thing about skateboarding, the thing that I love most about it; it’s the only thing that I can do in my life where I don’t worry. I don’t worry and I’m not stressed out and all I think about is skateboarding. When I lay awake at night worrying about songs or just everything like worrying about the next day or something that I know I have to do tomorrow and I just keep thinking about it. Even when I’m on stage I’m thinking about the next song or was the song that we just played good enough and a lot of times I forget to enjoy the moment on stage because I’m thinking too much about what’s going on. With skateboarding I don’t think about anything, I just think about pushing or ollie-ing and that is something that I will never give up until my body can’t do it. I have tried to quit numerous times but it’s just, it’s just in me.

What is your best skateboarding moment.

The proudest moment in my musical, well actually one of the proudest moments in my life was I was in an issue of Thrasher this month. I got a big cover and they did a piece about City And Colour and the whole thing I just talked about skateboarding. I have done a whole lot of cool things in my life and I have been lucky enough to do some really neat stuff but nothing compares to that. I open up that issue and I was like “holy fuck”, you know what I mean.

Yeah, you must of grown up with Thrasher as a kid so I can just imagine.

I have been reading it for 20 years, I have been reading it since I was a kid and I honestly knew that I was never going to be in there as a skateboarder but the fact that I got to talk about skateboarding and my music in Thrasher just blew me away.

Another addition to your mantelpiece I am guessing.

No not yet but I am going to get it and cut that out. I don’t have any of that stuff, any of the accolades or the gold records or any of that stuff I don’t have at my house. It’s all at my parents house but I definitely think I will have to do something with that. I don’t even have all the records we’ve put out.

For interest sake which one’s don’t you have?

Jeez I don’t have any of the Alexis stuff, I think I have the new one. I released these early City And Colour limited E.P’s and I don’t have one of those, you can’t even get those anymore.

Are you sad about that?

No I’m kind of stoked on it, I don’t like it and it’s kind of like living on the past. I don’t like to see what I have done and rather look forward to what I will do.

So moving away from that, what appeals to you more, beautiful guitar melodies or beautiful vocal melodies?

I like to think that my songs are pretty simple, even the melodies I try to keep really simple. A lot of people get hold of me and they’re like “agh I kind figure out this song” and I’m like “really? It’s super easy, just get a capo and move it around”. I think that a simple guitar with a simple voice is more appealing to most people because 90% of the population aren’t musically trained and thy can’t wrap their heads around crazy stuff, whereas everybody can feel just a simple chord progression with a simple melody.

Eastpak Anitidote tour was the last time you were in the UK with Alexis and it saw you at the Forum for 1 night. This time your back with City and Colour for 2 sold out nights at the same venue, how do you feel about the progression City and Colour has made?

It’s pretty crazy and I think that it has a lot to do with the fact that I don’t tour a lot with City And Colour. Maybe people never know when I’m going to come back so plus these are the only 2 shows that I’m doing in the UK so I am sure there are going to be a lot of people that have travelled down. I have no words to describe it, I never thought that that anything was going to happen with City And Colour and I just thought that it was some songs that maybe so of the kids that like Alexis might dig.

Your going to be recording a third album soon, is there any pressure on you to perform?

Not really because my records that they like are just me doing what I do. They are not these crazy put together records that has a crack team of songwriters and are super polished like Radiohead. That is not what I do, I just write songs and people seem to dig it. For instance the first record has 3 or 4 songs that are 6 minutes long with just a guitar and me singing and that takes a lot of patience to get behind that so I don’t feel any pressure. I think I have proven to everybody that I am just going to do what I want to do and most people that like it get that. I think that anybody new coming into it will figure that out early and that will be what is appealing to them, the fact that it is what it is.

And how excited are you to release the next album?

Oh I can’t wait, I have 12 new songs that I love and I can’t wait to record them and play them. There is a bunch that are just me with my guitar and there are a bunch that are that I have demoed at my house and played everything and there is a lot of fun stuff, Lot’s of piano and things like that.

Words by Jamie Reynolds / Photo’s by Marcus Maschwitz

Dallas Green in the flesh is a rather quiet and even a little shy but this is not the case when he’s out on the stage. Out on the stage breaks he barriers with his intimacy and the way he opens up his feelings and emotions to the crowd. On stage his voice is loud and powerful even when breaking away from the steady amplification of a mic. Dallas Green gives a whole new meaning to the cliché of ‘wearing your heart on your sleeve’ whether it’s with Alexisonfire or City And Colour. His alluring and heartfelt vocals stand out as something sincere and genuine and tonight is no different.

As Dallas makes his way out to the mic situated in the middle of The Forums’ stage the entire audience lets out a monumental applause, I can’t stop thinking that this is the type of applause that is reserved for legends and that maybe it is a sign of what this man truly is. A brief time is spent doing a quick final tune of his guitar while he utters “thank you very much for coming tonight” and then the show begins with Coming Home. I have heard audiences singing along to majority of words sung at them but tonight is on a completely different level, maybe it’s due to the sombre nature of the songs but the echoed words make it sound like a carols by candlelight evening. It might sound lame giving it that kind of description but it really was something else, it sounded like the crowd had been practicing their parts prior to the show for months and the effect it has on the songs is just spine tingling awesomeness. Like I said it seemed like the crowd had been waiting for City And Colour and had rehearsed every song to impress them. Every line is sung by someone, if not everyone, and you can’t help but feel that this is something genuinely special. As Coming Home carries on the crowd goes ecstatic for the “I’ve seen a palace in London, I’ve seen a castle in Wales” line, the euphoria keeps building and when the rest of City And Colour join in the atmosphere inside these four walls is like nothing I have witnessed before. The most amazing thing however is that this reception is not only reserved for the first song but every song after that too,

Tone is the one thing over and above everything else that stands out tonight for me, the warmth of Dallas’ guitars matches the strong piercing melody’s of his vocal range perfectly. There is no special chorus or reverb or any other effects that are blatant, instead the tone of the guitars is more genuine and organic. It’s hard to explain but the way City And Colour play simple chord progressions with soulful tone’s just grips me and when Dallas lays his beautiful vocals to the songs it is just something out of this world. He has so much range and so much control of that range, you can see that his voice is a instrument and the man is a maestro with it. As the night progresses they run through a long list of classics like Day Old Hate, Bring Me Your Love and Body In A Box which is a definite favourite for me. The only downfall is the handful of idiots shouting out requests throughout the set to which Dallas finds a little rude and justly so. At one point someone requests a song to which he replies “That was the fourth song on the set, your requesting songs that I have already played”. Another reply that really gets me laughing is when he tells the audience a story somewhere along the lines of this:

Once at a show people where shouting out requests, like tonight, and my cousin replied and said when you go to a cinema and you shout different movies, do they appear on the screen?

To which the entire crowd applause’s.

This is the other part to Dallas’ set, he includes a healthy helping of dry humour that is so refreshing. They end the night with an encore of Save The Scissors and and the explosive finale of Sleeping Sickness which gets a standing ovation from every single person.

Alexisonfire’s Dallas Green will be releasing a new EP, through is melodious side project City and Colour on April 17th in honour of Record Store Day.

Good stuff!

For the new album–released June 23 on Vagrant Records (U.S.A.) and on Dine Alone and RoadRunner in the rest of the world–ALEXISONFIRE re-teamed with Julius Butty who also produced the group’s Crisis and Watch Out! discs.  OLD CROWS / YOUNG CARDINALS is the first album from the group in almost three years and continues to receive critical praise (see quotes below).

The band is currently touring the U.S with the 2009 Vans Warped Tour joining NOFX, 3Oh!3, Bad Religion, Flogging Molly, TSOL, Underoath and many more on the annual punk rock extravaganza which celebrates its 15^thanniversary this year.  The group was also recently added to the Toronto stop on July 10. In a live review from the kick-off show in Pomona, CA on June 26, Los Angeles Times writer August Brown said, “The thick-necked and unexpectedly catchy stomp of Alexisonfire was a rewarding late afternoon pick-me-up…” (6/29/09). Post Warped, the group are confirmed to play both the main stage and Lock Up stages of both the Reading and Leeds U.K. festivals (with two sets per day) performing alongside Kings of Leon, Kaiser Chiefs and Placebo, to name a few.

Words by Eric Cannon / Photos by Marcus Maschwitz

One night at The Borderline would suffice a fan, but three nights in a row at such a small venue for such a talented bunch is almost unheard of.  Day three of this unique run of shows and the excitement in the room in obvious as the Canadian heavy weights take to the stage.  The reception for even the intro into tonight’s opener is so immense,  and leaves little to the imagination as what to expect.  ’Young Cardinals‘ is grand, almost larger than life, restricted only by the small walls of this venue, and shows that the band are going to deliver the goods with their soon to be released album titled ‘Old Crows / Young Cardinals‘.  They waste no time and rampage through classics like ‘This Could Be Anywhere In The World‘, ‘We Are The Sound‘ and ‘No Transitory‘.  The floor looks like a pot stewing with fans, one minute just standing, waiting, the next bubbling in an assortment of legs and arms.  The energy levels in the fans and the band is incredible, and at times it seems the stage is somewhat to small to house such an energetic bunch.  Bassist Chris Steele darts from side to side like a lunatic, weaving in-between his band mates as if he needs to be everywhere on the stage at the same time, with a maniac look in his eye’s that I can’t even begin to explain.  It’s no wonder though, Jordan Hastings ability on the drums could probably get anybody moving about as much.  It’s not often that a drummer grabs my attention but Jordan plays with so much determination, plainly put be abuses those skins like he wants to break them.

The Unique thing I find about this band is their vocal input, not happy with the standard of having one singer, they choose to have three.  Firstly you have George Pettit’s cryptic screams, leading the fans headfirst into an audio inferno.  Then to mix it up you have the chillingly beautiful sounds of Dallas Green, although tucked away to the side and remaining rather quiet all night his presence is immensely felt with every note he strikes.  Lastly you get a bit of the brilliant gruff roars of Wade MacNeil.  The juxtaposition between the three vocals is simply mind blowing.

Most people in the back of the venue would of missed tonight’s comedy highlight, George seemed to have just about enough of one offending fans hand constantly poking him in the chest, so he grabs the offending appendage and gives it a cautionary bite. Nice!

Back to the actual show and I know I can only speak for myself but the song of the night for me has to go to ‘Get Fighted‘, it posses everything that any of the great AOF songs have, but it’s just one of those songs you don’t expect to be in their set, it is one of those songs you only expect to be in those amazingly intimate shows you only read about…and then you realize that your at one of those shows!