On Stage: Therapy? @ Melkweg

Although their commercial hay days are behind them, North-Irish rockers Therapy? still keep going strong. The band is still knocking out new albums on a regular basis and always adds a club tour around Europe. And those live shows are exactly why they are one of my long time favourite rock bands.

Therapy? at Melkweg Amsterdam, April 12 2017

Because live on stage these guys never disappoint and will never let you down. On top of that they are probably one of the nicest people in the music biz. I had to miss out on the last couple of times they visited Amsterdam, so I made sure I could see their show this time. The large hall of the venue is about half full which is less than I expected. Judging from the people around me I guess they aren't adding a lot of new fans and their fan base is ageing with them.

It doesn't matter to the three rockers who are always grateful for the people that do show up and would even throw a killer show with just me in the room. Founding members Andy Cairns and Michael McKeegan have been in the band from the beginning since 1989 and drummer Neil Cooper joined them a while back too. Cooper has his birthday today so the band has something to celebrate.

Both band and crowd start a bit hesitant and need to warm up. Singer Cairns' voice doesn't always sound in tune, especially in the low registers, but their music isn't about perfect vocals of course. It's all about energy and having a blast knocking out heavy rock songs that aren't always your standard straight rock tunes. The last and fourteenth album Disquiet came out two years ago and with that many records there's a lot to choose from. So the set list is a mix of newer songs, some really old ones going back to their first album Babyteeth and of course many killer hits.

Because you'd almost forget the number of great songs this band has. Many times you think "that's right, I forgot about this one!". Songs like 'Teethgrinder', 'Church of Noise', 'Trigger Inside', 'Stories', the vicious Joy Division cover 'Isolation' and of course the Hüsker Dü cover 'Diane', they are all there. The last one is backed up by the "invisible band" as Cairns calls it and features him and McKeegan doing the vocals. By now the band has already wrapped everyone around their finger with their positive stage presence and their unlimited energy.

In the encore the band goes full force for the last time and the last chance for people to go nuts and throw their beer around. After almost two hours and 27 song set this wonderful show is over. Therapy? proves it is still one of the most fun live bands around and you just got to love them.



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Setlist:
01. Knives
02. Stop It You're Killing Me
03. Nausea
04. Skyward
05. Tides
06. Trigger Inside
07. Stories
08. Disgracelands
09. Still Hurts
10. Isolation
11. Deathstimate
12. Teethgrinder
13. Innocent X
14. Church of Noise
15. Misery
16. Unbeliever
17. Meat Abstract
18. Diane
19. Accelerator
20. Lonely, Cryin', Only
21. Die Laughing
Encore:
22. Epilepsy
23. Insecurity
24. Turn
25. Nowhere
26. Screamager
27. Potato Junkie