Theory Of A Deadman on a Friday night at The Electric Ballroom, Camden, is a complete sell-out. No chance of nabbing last-minute tickets or sneaking in a few mates in the hopes of going unnoticed. On the first night of their UK tour, Theory Of A Deadman opened well with a bang.
Theory of A Deadman – Amongst Liars
Electric Ballroom, Camden – 22 September 2023
Words: Monty Sewell
Photography: Eric Duvet
Theory of A Deadman
Over twenty years in the business and on the tail-end of their eighth studio album release, the band is definitive in their knowledge and experience of bringing an audience to their rock ‘n’ roll knees. Tonight would be no different.
Cracking open their bottle of countless good-time rocking hits, TOAD kicks things off with the title track of their latest album, Dinosaur. Tyler Connolly hits his self-procured sweet spot of frontman enticement atop some standout vocals, which sees not much difference from the band’s early days to now.
Big-time anthems such as Bitch Came Back and Blow is matched with the steady heat of tracks from their extensive catalogue, including Two Of Us and Santa Monica, before the band whips out their cover of the Chris Isaak song Wicked Game. TOAD does it brilliantly for a song with as many covers as it has poetically enhanced lyrics. The packed Ballroom is one huge lit-up eye as their audience continues singing along between sips of beer.
Looking around the venue, there isn’t any doubt this is a fiercely loyal and dedicatedly passionate following. Straight Jacket, new track Ambulance and History Of Violence are met with equal applause as fan favourite Angel, which ignites a full room sway to its emotively charged musical waves. 
The beauty of TOAD is that they know what they are about and how to give their audience exactly what they want. In light of that, the band wraps up with a smashing mega-mix of the infamous Paradise City / Walk / Song 2 tracks. Connolly and the guys absolutely rip-roar their way about the stage in true hard rock form, their energy highlighted in the evident joy of being back on the road. 
Top track, Bad Girlfriend, is the final encore number before the show wraps up and the hordes begin to file out. It’s a mass throng of ecstatic fans gorging on the show they had just enjoyed as most begin to file up by the merch stand and the rest discuss after the after-gig punter location. 
Amongst Liars
The support act for the tour are Amongst Liars. With just one album – a self-titled record released last year – under their arms, the band has already secured multiple strong-standing support slots and a plethora of big-figure amounting fans. Recklessly rock with some huge arena-ready choruses, Amongst Liars steers the night’s audience right onto the road of a great night from the get-go. 
Black Days kills as the night’s first track before their latest single, The Shameful, brings equal inner heat from their onstage grandiose and heavy edge. Highlight track Drown is the juggernaut of the set, amplifying their obvious ascent within the scene and stapling themselves as worthy guests alongside TOAD. 
New songs By Design and Wolf Machine leave much to the excited imagination as to what their next album release will be like. By the sounds of it, pretty damn good. Great band chemistry, a hungry and dynamic sound, and the ability to fill a venue this size with the ache of hard rock satisfaction.
Amongst Liars are the ones to watch.
