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Therapy?

We're Here To The End

Written by: PP on 11/12/2010 04:17:18

Most of us newer kids on the block only know Therapy? by name. After all, their breakthrough and height of success was during mid 90s when they broke into the charts in the UK and elsewhere. They've released ten studio albums since their inception, but their career has been in steady decline ever since the turn of the millennium, not surprisingly considering their retrospective, dated sound, that combines grunge, early punk, and alternative rock together, resulting in a very early-90s type of rock sound. It's raw, unpolished, and metal-based, riddled with off-tune vocals and experimental guitar sections thrown in for the sake of it (because it was 'cool' back then). I realize I'm being harsh, because Therapy? have written some genuinely seminal songs during their mid 90s era, but their relevancy in 2010 is perfectly embodied by this live release, "We're Here To End", recorded over three nights (29th-31st of March this year) at Water Rats, London, UK, a club venue that only fits 250 people on a sold out night. In a city of ten million plus residents, a band with ten albums must simply be able to attract a bigger crowd if people still cared about them.

The band's following may have diminished from the golden days, but on the flip side you're guaranteed a crowd full of die-hard fans only, who will sing back nearly every lyric of every song, as evident on the 36 tracks spread over two discs on offer here, totalling over two hours of live music. Pretty fuckin' good deal if you're a Therapy? fan, given the sheer number of tracks from their back catalogue bunched together here, I don't think it's out of line to call it the definitive live album for any Therapy? fan out there. For the rest of us, the rather quiet (though passionate) shout-alongs by the crowd display just how much Therapy? matters these days. With 250 people a night, the sound of the crowd can't exactly be described as a roar on a live record like this. At the same, however, it does create an intimate, small-scale kind of mood to the album, which is a good thing in this case. And rest assured, Therapy? play a repertoire of their best, most appreciated tracks throughout the three nights, alongside rarer songs and lesser good instances of their, I hesitate to say it, seminal sound.

The fans might be interested to know that 40 songs were recorded in total, but "Lonely, Cryin' Only" and "I Am The Money" were removed due to performance quality, and "Ten Year Plan" and "I Told You I Was Ill" were discarded because of technical problems with the recordings. Problems, which in my opinion are a rather big deal throughout the album. The sound can echo annoyingly, the vocalist sounds completely off tune (although this used to be a part of their charm I suppose), and the small crowd size makes the response sound mild. For collectors only, curious souls should probably seek out "Troublegum" from 1994 to gain an insight into what this band used to be like.

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Release date 05.11.2010
Blast Records