10th September 2003

Trapt came over to stamp their mark on London’s rock scene last night,
playing their debut UK gig at The Garage and they certainly went for it.
Their clean, yet powerful sound was deftly delivered with crisp timing, skill and an energy
that left the frontman perfectly soaked to the skin with sweat from what was the equivalent of a punishing hour long workout.
There is no bullshit in Chris Browns persona or his performance.
It’s for real.
He demands the audience to show him everything they are inside because he is up there showing them what’s inside him.
This kind of interaction sees the mosh pit joining him in a raw display of rock emotion.
But he isn’t kidding.
He jumps up and down, stamping out the beat and punching the air with a kind of positive rage, letting out the angst and frustrations and hopes contained in the lyrics of his songs.
He taps into the teenage rock angst of heartache, lonliness and non-conformity, introducing his songs with sentiments like,
“This songs for all of you who wake up in the morning just knowing your day is gonna suck” or “This is about being in love with someone and them saying they’re not ready. Having to wait is fucking hard”
His voice is mega hard, yet melodious because the songs are good tunes ultimately.
The band are solid and tight.
Monty is a drummer you’d dream of having in your band.
He seems more comfortable behind his kit than your Grandad in his dressing gown and slippers sitting in front of the fire in his favourite armchair.
He is rock solid and embellishes his playing with sharp, tight fills and rides the cymbals to fill out the overall sound.
Peter on Bass provides the only other real movement on stage along with a fine solid sound and playing that compliments the percussion perfectly.
Simon crafts his guitar playing extremely well between power rock, plain electric picking and other guitar effects.
The sound is full and rich often belying the fact that there is only one guitarist. That’s his skill.
The songs are constructed in ways that have him constantly changing and working.
Trapt have been around since the mid nineties and have worked hard to get where they are.
They have earned the respect of other bands and fans alike and I feel their time has come.
But probably not this year. I think they will take off next year, so the ground work they are doing now in Europe should pay off.
The album is a collection of tuneful and robust songs without the usual “four good songs and the rest is padding” offering.
“Headstrong” is the obvious single and was by far the most popular song last night, though the crowd seemed well versed in the rest of the songs.
Some of which would not be out of place in a pop chart.
It was a good gig.
Just over an hour long but loud and full on.
You come out satisfied.
You got your moneys worth and you’re left wanting more.
The band worked their butts off and gave the audience their all.
It was a real, honest performance.
Watch them take off and definitely don’t miss out next time around.
They’ll soon be headlining bigger venues where you won’t be so close to feel the energy so much.