The Review

This show was originally at the Basement in Rock City and was upgraded (as were many of the shows on this tour) soon after tickets went on sale and it’s easy to see why this was the case. The queue outside the Rescue Rooms began to form long before the show started, going to prove just how popular Zebrahead are becoming in the UK.

First up were Orange, who hadn’t toured the UK before and I’d only heard short clips of songs. They managed to get the crowd moving after just one catchy song. Songs from new album Phoenix seemed to go down very well, although only a few fans had heard the songs before, frontman Joe Dexter interacted effectively with the crowd and guitarist Alec Gomez celebrated his birthday with a less than successful stage dives.

Next up, post-punk laptop rapper MC Lars and his co-vocalist DJ. Usually MC Lars is backed by UK band Failsafe, however tonight he used just his laptop and his obvious talented. Playing a set made up mainly of his older songs such as UK Vice Versa, Straight Outta Stockholm and Download this Song. He got the crowd jumping and singing along for his entire half hour set which seemed to be over much too quickly.

Finally, the eagerly anticipated Zebrahead, the headliners seem to be building a big reputation for putting on quite a show here in the UK and they did not disappoint this evening. Playing songs from album Phoenix such as Hell Yeah, Mike Dexter, Just The Tip and my personal favourite live song The Juggernauts. As well as a cover of Britney Spears’ – Oops I Did It Again from covers album Panty Raid and numerous songs from their back catalogue. Front man Ali Tabatabaee kept the fans happy by regularly jumping into the front row to sing into the faces of many of  the fans. Guitarist Greg Bergdorf never fails to impress with his face melting solos that even the most accomplished guitarist wouldn’t be able to match. Matty Lewis kept the crowd entertained between songs by sharing jokes and showing his gratitude to the fans for being there. Bassist Ben Osmundson let his playing do the talking and did his part in keeping the fans cool by pouring water all over them. Not forgetting drummer Ed Udhus, who doesn’t disappoint with his note perfect drumming.

Finishing with an encore consisting of The Juggernauts, fan-favourite Anthem and The Setup from 2004’s MFZB proving that songs from 6 years ago still impress. After the show the band come into the crowd to thank them for coming and are immediately at the merch stand ready to meet, take photos and sign tickets, posters, shirts, body parts and anything else fans put in front of them.

Greg Berdorf - Zebrahead

Matty Lewis - Zebrahead