{"id":4028,"date":"2014-06-19T13:23:54","date_gmt":"2014-06-19T20:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/?p=4028"},"modified":"2014-06-19T13:56:58","modified_gmt":"2014-06-19T20:56:58","slug":"failure-brings-comeback-tour-to-hollywood-pomona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/2014\/06\/19\/failure-brings-comeback-tour-to-hollywood-pomona\/","title":{"rendered":"Failure Brings Comeback Tour To Hollywood & Pomona"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review & photos by Andrew Bansal<\/strong>
\n[Pomona show review by Darshun, photos by Matt Nielson]\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Following their first show since 1997 at the El Rey Theatre last February and their participation in two special shows for Maynard James Keenan’s ‘cinquanta’ birthday celebrations at the Greek Theatre last month, Los Angeles-based alt\/space rock band Failure embarked on an 18-show ‘Tree Of Stars’ North American headline run, announcing their comeback with two-set ‘evening with’ shows in every town. Failure disbanded in 1997 and after a long 16-year gap, reunited as a three-piece lineup of Ken Andrews, Greg Edwards and Kellii Scott and began working on a new album, slated for release in early 2015. They visited the Glass House in Pomona last Saturday June 14th and the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood last night, both venues packed with Failure fans for whom it was a highly anticipated event.<\/p>\n

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June 14th 2014, Glass House, Pomona CA: <\/strong>According to our writer Darshun, who was seeing Failure for the third time this year and also saw them back in the late 90s, “Failure sounded way better as a three-piece than a four-piece. The power trio utilized Fractal Axe FX for the guitar and bass, and changes between songs were seamless. The first\u00a0set was great, and the second\u00a0set included the song ‘Small Crimes’ which they may not have played the previous times I\u2019ve seen this band, a haunting song that was well played and I was ecstatic to hear live finally. For their encore, Failure treated us to a song they hadn\u2019t played the entire Tree of Stars tour, ‘Magnified’, which was definitely a highlight of the night. They’ve written a new\u00a0song called ‘The Focus’ but did not play it at this show, which was a bummer, but even so, the night was still great, and by being near the 20th\u00a0<\/sup>date of this tour, Failure sounded spot-on.<\/p>\n

Check out a gallery of Matt Nielson’s 24 photos from the Pomona show below, or view it here<\/a> if you’re on a non-Flash device:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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June 18th 2014, Fonda Theatre, Hollywood CA: <\/strong>For the final show of the tour, Failure took over the Fonda in Hollywood, changed from the previously scheduled two nights at the Mayan. Holders of the original Mayan tickets as well as the first 100 buyers of the rescheduled show were to be handed free Failure posters after the gig. Doors opened at 7, the fans trickled in, and by the time the event was ready to begin at 8:20, the turnout here was sizable. Prior to the three members of Failure taking their positions on stage, a film was played on a projection screen in the stage backdrop, comprising a montage of some of the band’s favorite movies and TV shows, as an apt prelude to Failure’s arrival that further intensified the atmosphere. At 8:40, the band appeared amidst huge cheers from fans and took them through a powerful journey through their musical catalog.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>They played a 40-minute first set, followed by a 15-minute intermission and a 65-minute second set, which I thought was an excellent way of doing the show and enabled the crowd to enjoy it more as opposed to a long continuous set. Each of the three band members took stance on circular platforms which elevated them on the stage and gave everyone a great view of the performance. The mic stands and the rims of the amps and drum heads were lit up, adding further to the sight. The stage setup as a whole certainly lent Failure their own identity and something attendees of this show would remember and associate them with.<\/p>\n

The manner in which the evening unfolded, Failure seemed to progress through a steady buildup with the first set of songs they presented, and the second set was definitely where they took it to an entirely different level with darker, more powerful tunes consisting of longer instrumental passages and enhanced further by visuals in the backdrop. Ken Andrews’ vocal delivery was excellent, and with Greg Edwards he effectively switched bass, guitar and keyboards wherever and whenever the music demanded, while drummer Kellii Scott laid down some extremely creative fills and hit the skins with a strong sense of purpose. The trio clearly reveled in each other’s musicianship and based on this performance, their reunion definitely seems justified.<\/p>\n

<\/strong>\"\"<\/a>The five-song encore, including the band’s newest composition ‘The Focus’, perfectly encapsulated the entire evening and was perhaps the best part of the show as the crowd was loving every moment of it. Sound-wise, the Fonda provided the ideal setting for Failure’s music, and specially up in the balcony, the band was sounding fantastic, with the bass coming through delightfully prominent in the mix, keeping the band’s overall sound heavy and serving as the balancing element to go with the mellower, more tender parts of the music.<\/p>\n

Because of their history and the section of the Los Angeles music scene they’re usually associated with, Failure might often be likened to such bands as Tool and A Perfect Circle, but with their nature of musicianship and the live presentation at this show, they made me think of Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree more than anyone else, and to readers of this website who enjoy that brand of music but are unfamiliar with Failure, now is as good a time as any to check them out.<\/p>\n

Check out a gallery of 30 photos from the Hollywood show below, or view it\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0if you’re on a non-Flash device:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Failure links:<\/strong>
\nFailureBand.com<\/a><\/strong>
\nfacebook.com\/FailureBand<\/a><\/strong>
\ntwitter.com\/Failure<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Set List:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Set 1:<\/strong>
\n01. Another Space Song
\n02. Frogs
\n03. Wet Gravity
\n04. Saturday Saviour
\n05. Sergeant Politeness
\n06. Segue 2
\n07. Dirty Blue Balloons
\n08. Undone
\n09. Pillowhead
\n10. Segue 3
\n11. The Nurse Who Loved Me<\/p>\n

Set 2:<\/strong>
\n01. Blank
\n02. Solaris
\n03. Small Crimes
\n04. Smoking Umbrellas
\n05. Stuck on You
\n06. Heliotropic
\nEncore:<\/em>
\n07. The Focus
\n08. Bernie
\n09. Magnified
\n10. Screen Man
\n11. Daylight<\/p>\n

Check out a video of ‘Saturday Saviour’ from the Pomona show (by Matt Nielson):<\/strong><\/p>\n