American Fear

Having moved to North Staffordshire the day before, I couldn’t think of a better way to get settled into the area than a night full of local bands. Whilst looking through concert posters, one immediately caught my eye: a lineup full of names I’d heard mentioned by friends, but never been fortunate enough to see myself. All of it overlaid onto a poster of a howling cat on a red background. So I thought to myself, “go on then”, and took a gamble.

The Rigger is a spectacular hub for the local bands of the area, a decently spacious venue with enough seating if need be — a rare sight for venues on the smaller side, and a nice change from a lot of the gigs I’ve been to. The entrance is less welcoming, though, as steps are the only way in and there’s no visible ramp. The stage is tucked away in the corner, maximising the room for any crowds, and the sound quality is surprisingly high for what is just a pub for the majority of the time.

Opening up the night were Flutter, a five-piece who describe themselves as “nu-gaze”. While it was a slow-paced set, they still managed to capture the attention of the otherwise scattered crowd, the vocalist’s voice harmonising perfectly to the sound of the band’s guitars, their passion clearly on show. An impressive feat, considering it was only their fourth live show. They closed with a Title Fight cover, drawing some final cheers from an already joyous audience.

The Other Things were next, with a set spanning a range I don’t think anyone expected after the opener, fast and slow songs sitting together exceptionally well. My favourite by far was their single ‘Snakeskin Ladders’, which I could only describe as the lovechild of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Stereophonics. This track was honestly phenomenal, turning an otherwise still crowd into one big wave of movement. The lead singer was mesmerising, darting from side to side with the mic in one hand and a tambourine in the other, moving frantically to the rhythm of their songs. After speaking to the band, I was handed a pile of badges to pass around the audience, which gave me a nice excuse to chat to other people in the scene and gather their thoughts. The consensus was extremely positive, the words “sick set” and “killed it” heard multiple times.

Hailing from Crewe’s newfound alternative music scene, American Fear closed off the night with a set full of post-rock bangers. The hour-long performance covered the genre’s whole range, with constant tempo shifts mid-song. One audience member went as far as claiming “This isn’t post-rock, this is post-jazz”, to which the vocalist responded “Y’know what, I’ll take that”. 

Post-rock is one of the hardest genres to do well — the line between beautifully textured songs and utter chaos is a thin one. Despite that, the three-piece knew exactly how to walk it without ever tipping over. The songs were layered carefully, the raw emotion of the band on show from start to finish, in a way quite unlike any band I’ve seen before. Every song was a step up from the last, each one more chaotic, with enough energy to fill an arena. The crowd sent that energy back in a sea of headbanging. American Fear made an already good night shine even further.

Their set was unpredictable, to say the least: an impromptu guitar string change, then a cymbal coming apart. Neither would fly outside a scene the size of Stoke’s. Yet the band still found a way to integrate both into the show, filling the gaps with some crowdwork. It even briefly turned into what felt like five minutes of stand-up, the singer joking he couldn’t change a guitar string, which got plenty of laughs. Not one annoyed face in the room.

With influences that are quite hard to pinpoint, American Fear do their own thing exceptionally well. Well enough to make this one of my favourite sets of the year. They have a debut single still to come, so they’re certainly one of the up-and-coming acts to check out. With a vibe you’d only find in a smaller scene, American Fear’s spectacular set at The Rigger shows exactly why smaller bands deserve just as much support as the chart-toppers.