All the Way with All Nine Yards – A Concert Evening at the TV-Club Leipzig

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We’ve been saying for years that we should support smaller bands and concerts. As part of our media partnership for ALL NINE YARDS’ “So much for Love” tour, we put this belief into action once again. The tour made one of its stops at the TV-Club Leipzig, and we couldn’t miss it! ALL NINE YARDS are known for delivering a good dose of rock ’n’ roll, and whether they delivered on that promise—and whether the support bands SINCE APRIL and LIFELESS END could keep up—you can read all about it here in our concert review!

A big thank you to lightinmirror.de for the wonderful photos! You rock!

Lifeless End

Before we get started, it’s worth mentioning that the evening actually got off to a rocky start: LAVILA had to cancel the show the day before due to illness, so it was a race against time to find a replacement. Fortunately, LIFELESS END spared no expense or effort to drive straight from the studio to Leipzig.

Musically, LIFELESS END fall somewhere between post-hardcore and metalcore, and they bring a lot of energy to the stage. However, their inexperience is also evident. The foundation of their music is very solid, and with more time, things will certainly change. Compared to SINCE APRIL or ALL NINE YARDS, though, it was clear that LIFELESS END haven’t quite found their identity as a band yet. All the energy they undoubtedly possess hasn’t quite found its way out yet, so they come across a bit like a budding flower—you know it’s bound to be beautiful, but you’re not quite sure what it will actually look like. With more live experience and the courage to be more unconventional in their songwriting, though, that shouldn’t be a problem for long!

Since April

One band that already knows exactly where they stand is SINCE APRIL! I had already seen the Munich-based band at the TV-Club in November, and I liked them a lot back then, so my expectations were correspondingly high for this tour stop.

But SINCE APRIL delivered on their promise: good vibes and tons of energy, which really comes through in their catchy songs. Their riffs are driving and uncompromising, without ever feeling over-the-top. You can tell that SINCE APRIL loves being on stage together, and they come across as completely relaxed and free. 

I especially enjoyed their latest song, The Inner Voice, live—it kept playing in my head for quite a while afterward. 

I also have to give special praise here to the band’s cohesive concept. The guys from SINCE APRIL must have read the term “corporate identity” at some point and thought, “That, but amped up to 300%!” Everything is perfectly coordinated: makeup, lighting colors, merch, stage outfits, light show, and, of course, their social media presence. I wouldn’t be surprised if they even coordinate the color of their socks with each other! Huge kudos for that, and I’d love to see more of it!

All Nine Yards

If we’re being realistic for a moment, we have to admit that rock and metal bands are truly a dime a dozen. Especially in the underground scene, there are countless bands, and a good 80% of them just aren’t any good. Given these circumstances, it’s more than refreshing when a band comes along that knows how to make the best use of each member’s individual strengths. ALL NINE YARDS do exactly that, and that was a key factor in our decision to partner with them.

ALL NINE YARDS consists of Dian Ollison (vocals, bass), Marc Pavey, Thomas Rabenda (both guitars) und Stick Perry (drums), and they are fully committed to rock. But you won’t find any monotony here, because their rock sound—a genre that’s sometimes labeled “old school”—is constantly infused with modern elements that keep the music lively and fresh.

On the “So Much for Love” tour, ALL NINE YARDS are currently promoting their album Violet, which is bursting with energy. They brought that high energy to the TV-Club as well, opening the show with their single Me in Enemy. Not only did this serve as a musical “Warning!” to the crowd right from the start, it was also an expression of the high standards the quartet sets for themselves: There are no half-measures here! At 75 minutes, the set was perfectly timed, and ALL NINE YARDS had plenty of time to showcase themselves and their music.

The band’s live performance is both professional and uncompromising, and singer Dian, in particular, knows how to win over the audience. Here, Dian’s “youthful” energy meets the wealth of experience brought by guitarist Marc, for example, who has been performing on a wide variety of stages for more than 30 years. This blend is also evident in the band’s stage presence, which is very self-assured. At times, I would have liked to see more interaction among the band members, but that’s just nitpicking!

In my opinion, the standout highlights of the show were definitely Lipstick Stains—which, of course, includes the line “So much for Love” that gives the tour its name—the following song I’m A Mess, which really resonates with me, and the emotional track Incompleted, during which I had to wipe away a tear or two due to the feelings it conveyed. 

We’ve been to some bigger shows, but that evening at the TV-Club, we were reminded once again of what it’s really all about: music in its raw form and the love for it. If there’s one tour right now that conveys that, it’s the “So much for Love” tour! Thank you, ALL NINE YARDS!

If you’d like to catch this tour at the last minute, get your tickets now! The following dates and venues are still available:

24.04. Solingen – Monkey’s

25.04. Bielefeld – JZ Stricker

29.04. Hildesheim – Club VEB

30.04. Erfurt – VEB Kultur

01.05. Nürnberg – Blackbox

02.05. Burglengenfeld – JUZ