Trail of Dead @ King Tut's

Someone said recently on this site that to see your heroes is not necessarally always a good thing. This was in reference to Slint, a band that split 14 years ago, when most users of this site cared had little to no taste in music, and a band that I have only really been listening to for the last year or so. A band therefore, that we as younger music fans can't really have a good idea of what they will be like.
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead are something different.
They are my favourite band. A band that I have grown up listening to. A band that have not played one single UK date in the last 2 years and a Scottish one in even longer. They are a band renowned as ear-blistering noise machines with incredible stage shows.

The premise was amazing. The show sold out in a matter of days; more than one conversation was overheard about difficulty in finding tickets. The venue could not have been more personal unless by some grace of god they had arrived to play in my bedroom. I had waited years for this moment. This was going to be.... fucking incredible!...

They begin with a new song.
My friend turns to me and says:
"It's like Oasis".
I don't know if he's joking. I struggle to argue with him, but... well... it, sort of is.

But hey it's ok, here comes 'Mistakes and Regrets' the lead track of their second (and best?) album Madonna.

WHY IS THIS SO FUCKING QUIET?!?!?!?!?!

I came here to have the shit kicked out of me and leave with bleeding ears, what the fuck is going on?

"This is Goddamn punk rock" screams drummer/guitarist/vocalist Jason Reece.

Nah man. This is fucking tame.

The set it sloppy, moving from song to song after long waits for guitar/drummer changes. The interludes are sheer unorganised noise. The setlist comprises only of desperately heavy tracks seemingly no respite other than the tragically long periods of nothing between songs.

What is far more worrying however is that the new material seems generic and dull. This is further perpetuated by unfavourable reviews on sites such as pitchforkmedia. I do not look forward to the release of their new album next year. I fear it.

My brother tells me that they have got a lot tighter since he last saw them and that, yes, they have lost something for it.
I think that this sort of sums up the night.
Yes, they have just flown direct form the US, and yes I am sure they are tired. But the fact remains that tonight Trail of Dead were... a bit shit.