30 Seconds to Mars wow London
30 Seconds to Mars rocked a sold-out Hammersmith Apollo.
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Friday, 08, Feb 2008 03:56
You could be forgiven for assuming that 30 Seconds to Mars had enjoyed a relatively easy rise to popularity. With a well-known Hollywood actor for a frontman, the band was always destined to generate a fair amount of interest with the media and music fans alike. But in fact, the pre-established celebrity status of Jared Leto (who first came to public attention in television series My So-Called Life) proved to be somewhat of a double-edged sword, attracting 30 Seconds to Mars as much negative attention as it did positive.
Many journalists derided the band, labelling it a vanity-project on Jared's part. There were also unfavourable comparisons, somewhat inevitably perhaps, to past actor-turned-musician follies such as Keanu Reeves' ill-fated grunge outfit Dogstar.
The band faced yet more adversity when they came around to touring their debut eponymous album, released in 2002. 30 Seconds to Mars were quickly pigeon-holed as a heavy rock act, a label that the group didn't feel comfortable with. "We got offered a lot of bad tours when we were starting," Jared recounted in an interview with UK magazine Rock Sound. "People seemed to want us to open for heavy metal and nu-metal bands exclusively."
However, the more mature sound of their second effort A Beautiful Lie did much to quell the criticism surrounding the band, and showed the world that 30 Seconds to Mars meant business.
And so now, with the Hammersmith Apollo packed out by enthusiastic fans, it's all about the music. Well - for the most part. Fascination with the frontman's Hollywood status aside, 30 Seconds to Mars certainly know how to make an A-list entrance. Flashing lights project fleeting silhouettes of the band members onto a huge white sheet that obscures the whole of the stage, and we discern them readying their instruments against a cacophonous orchestral soundtrack. Finally, the curtain drops amidst a wail of guitar feedback, eliciting a veritable eruption of screaming from the crowd.
The spectacular intro is enough to make abrasive opener Battle of One a real winner, coming on ten times more grandiose than it does on record, and sounding, quite frankly, far bigger than it should. From hereon in, the crowd is with Jared as he leads them through the chorus refrains of latest single From Yesterday, and other favourites The Kill (Bury Me) and Attack, providing second vocals all the way.
As you would expect, the vast majority of tonight's material is drawn from platinum album A Beautiful Lie, with the band delivering one rabble-rousing anthem after the other. But there are bland moments as well, notably in the distinctly pedestrian Was It a Dream? and the rather dull album title track.
One of the show's highlights came when, following the main set, Jared appears in the corner of the dress circle armed to perform an acoustic rendition of early single Capricorn (A Brand New Name).
From the relentless enthusiasm of tonight's audience, it's clear that 30 Seconds to Mars have struck a major chord (excuse the pun) with music fans. While it's tempting to think that much of the fascination may be directed at their A-list frontman, there's no denying that people genuinely love the music. And in the end, isn't that what matters?
Ewan Cant