30 Seconds to Mars - Glasgow SECC (27/02/2010)
Steph Cosway | Tuesday, 09 March 2010
Not that this is a bad thing. Far from it, in fact. Everything about this experience was as exciting as a slap in the face from a diamond ring. Jared Leto oozes drama as he channels his favourite qualities of every rockstar he's ever seen and loved. There are aspects of Billie Joe Armstrong, Michael Hutchence and, rather strangely, a distinct parallel to Snow Patrol's vocalist Gary Lightbody. There is no getting away from the fact that Leto is, first and foremost, an actor.
30 Seconds to Mars, collectively, really know how to create drama amongst their audience. Never have we seen a rock-band simmer such excitement coming on stage to drums ahoy and bangs aplenty (and enough tweenage girl screams to burst an eardrum).
Very few bands can achieve making their songs sound as crisp as they do on record, whilst at the same time rocketing said songs into making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. And it's never bad hearing a band take a chance on playing very early material such as 'Battle of One' and 'The Fantasy' to a crowd that predominately only know the new album and 'From Yesterday'.
This Is War is an utterly apt name for 30 Seconds to Mars' latest album - at the end of this gig every person in the crowd was riled and ready for war.
Rating: 4/5