Zico Chain seem to be locked in a perpetual struggle with that fickle lady, Fate. After she swindled them out of everything they had, they have clawed their way back into public consciousness and are on the first legs of their UK tour promoting their incredible new album The Devil in Your Heart. With a shiny new record label and fire in their bellies, Zico Chain are hard rocking beacons of optimism. It’s cruel then, that a twist of fate threatened their set last Friday.
The air of Fibbers was thick with the usual, pungent aroma of sweat and Desperados, but as the clock ticked slowly towards 10.15pm a new pheromone entered the fray: anticipation. As Zico Chain took the stage, a group of hardcore fans surged to the front, eyes wide, fists clenched in preparation for some serious air pumping. On stage, Zico Chain’s frontman Chris Glithero’s fists were clenched for a different reason as he steeled himself to sing against the flu virus assaulting his vocal chords.
Illness aside, the set was a perfect mix of Zico classics and new material. Band mates Ollie Middleton and Paul Frost were pillars of support for their front man, playing energetic fillers between songs so Glithero could stumble stage-side and down a pint of what looked like battery fluid but was probably Lemsip. Despite being poorly, Glithero’s vocals were remarkably on par. ‘New Romantic’ was a highlight, boasting a melody robust enough to survive nuclear fallout whilst the wild fury of ‘Rohypnol’ was felt in the ribcage of every audience member.
Still, the ferocity with which Zico Chain attacked the set could not be sustained; the band were forced to finish early. Determined to go out with a bang, ‘Where Would You Rather Be’ was a crowd-pleasing finale, whilst the lyrics “I’m not completely sure / If I can take much more” were aptly visible in Glithero’s cadaverous complexion. Still, none were disappointed. As the lights went up a fan was heard gushing “I’ve waited three years to see them live – even when they’re ill, Zico kick the arses of every other rock band around.”
As I left Fibbers, heart beating with a rekindled passion for rock music, I realised I couldn’t agree more.