17/10/2008 Torn Asunder @ Bullet Bar

Subject	Torn Asunder @ Bullet Bar
PostedDate	10/17/2008
	A good value for money night at Kentish Town's Bullet Bar as the promoter (anyone remember Karl the friendly security guy from the Five Miles High gigs at W14?) was putting on six bands for £6 - or would have done if all the bands had actually turned up.  I'd only come to see one band and had no idea who else was playing, so unfortunately I missed Malone who had impressed me at a gig with Candyheads a few months ago.  Next band were Smiling Ivy, who were far less impressive than their promo flyers and artwork. Even less impressive was they and their few fans behaviour when the next band were playing - dissing them and deliberately throwing rubbish on the stage while they were on stage.  Immature behaviour from bad losers who could see that the band that followed them was so much better and was blowing them them clean off the stage with a far more professional show. There is a sort of unwritten code amongst bands that you mutually support each other when you share the same bill even if you are poles apart musically. These losers have a lot to learn... It's less than a year since the only other time I have seen Torn Asunder - they have changed dramatically since then. Previously they had a bit of a 'pub band' air about them - mainly due to their singer. Although he wasn't a bad singer, he had zero charisma and looked more like someone doing karaoke in a pub than fronting a rock band. He has since been shown the door, and his place has been taken by a girl called Loran. The band has been completely transformed! This really is like a different band now - it's amazing what a difference a good frontperson can make. The rest of the band could play well enough before, but now the 'pub band' singer is no longer holding them back they have really raised their game. The thing is, Loran is a damn good singer and I think she sounds far better live than on their the band's recorded work - but there is far more to fronting a band than just singing well. Some of rock's best ever frontmen have been only mediocre singers but have become legendary. Unlike the band's previous singer, Loran really understands how to perform to an audience. You have to watch. She doesn't just hold your attention - shedemands it! Not all people fronting bands get this, but audiences don't just want to hear a good performance - they want to be entertained. This band has undergone a dramatic transformation and is now so much better as a result.

PS: This venue (once better known as The Verge) later became 'The Flowerpot' and has since closed.