I give you....
...
Reported Failure @ TA7
"Total annihilation" yells Billie. "We are Reported Failure" the crowd screams. "And when this beat kicks in I want to see you lose your fucking minds." Guitar fuzz builds in rhythm with Matt on bass. Billie violently throws the mic and jumps around like a mad man. "GO" commands Billie. The drums kick in and Vin goes into a riff. Billie throws the mic wire around his neck letting it fly almost hitting Matt. A circle pit opens up about a third of the way back from the stage. The heavy progression continues for a measure or two until it all stops. Violins kick in starting the intro for Reported Failure's first song "My Name is William". Billie gets the mic and begins to sing.
"Pen, paper, words, feelings
All get lost in between life and fiction
Rooftops and minimum wages
Lost families and disfunctional relationships
They all get lost
In my pen my paper
Until I don't recognize ohh anything.
It's all just morning coffee
Marble Pillars
Smoke and mirrors"
Billie pauses throwing the mic high into the air and then catching it. Vin begins rocking out throwing his body from side to side and leaning back to back against Matt before the two of them go into a headbanging escapade as Billie says "Let me hear you sing this
Noooo
I wish I never set sail
Hey!
I should've stayed in Greece
Now
I'll just be stained on the cars below
Unwanted again
Hate, culture, waste, breeding
All have blurred the line between real and fake
Unwanted fathers and unwilling mothers
Lost causes, and forgotten sons
They are all I see
Through my worn eyes
I'm falling fast
All I see are sad memories
Painful lies
Hatred skies
Noooo
I wish I never set sail
Hey!
I should've stayed in Greece
Now
I'll just be stained on the cars below
Unwanted again"
"Ladies and gentlemen Vin Peters" shouts Billie as Vin begins to play the first guitar solo of the night. He sweeps up and down the neck bending, hammering all in one majestic melody before Billie finishes the song.
"My name is William
My name is William
oooh"
The last cheers echo as the song ends. Then Billie signals to the rest of the band. They adjust their instruments briefly then Robert Edwards starts slamming on his drums. "Clap" says Billie casually to the crowd. A beat is made quickly with the clapping and Robert pounding his drums in all of the dynamic ways he knew how. Then it all stopped and ska chords kicked in as Billie started to sing the next song "Manufactured Radio".
"You got soul
Hidden in this remote control
you turn it on (off on off on off on off)
you got style
With your skin tight jeans
And your angsty graphic t-shirt
you take it off (on off on off on off on)
So when you walk down the street, hope you know youre doin it for me
And that voice in the back of your head, that’s me
And your words, I wrote them for you
So you can be the radio
What happened… to anything
you swear it wasn’t like this just the other day
What happened to living?
And being something just so you could say
“I’ll go my own way”
You got beat
Through some digital screen
You turn it on (Off on off on off on off)
You got licks
Through your guitar picks
You stroke it up (down up down up down up down)
So when you breathe fuck or sleep I hope you know that youre doin it for me
Every note you’ve sang, that was me
And your words, I wrote them for you
So you can be the radio
What happened… to anything
you swear it wasn’t like this just the other day
What happened to living?
And being something just so you could say
“I’ll go my own way”
Though you try (try try try try try try)
You cant escape me
I am the mafia
I am the radio
I am Sirius top 40 hits
I am the radio
I am the radio
I am the fucking radio"
Billie pauses. "Total Annihilation! I want you to sing with me. You know this chorus. This is your circus. Own it. Make it what you want. Ready? WHAT HAPPENED." and Billie stops. The whole band stops. The crowd sings the rest of the final chorus without help. Then Robert hits the drums again and the band play the chorus one more time for kicks.
"What happened… to anything
you swear it wasn’t like this just the other day
What happened to living?
And being something just so you could say
“I’ll go my own way”"
Billie grins at Matt as he hears the crowd singing the song they wrote together. Vin starts playing random noise on his guitar. There is no structure. He lets tremoloed tones ring through the amp bending them occasionally. A piano joins in too playing haunting chords. Bass kicks in. Billie opens up his mouth to speak. "Ohay" he shouts then holds the mic out to the crowd who copy him. "Ohayoh" sings Billie and once again they copy him. The guitar piano and bass are still playing now a bass drum joins in. "We released a record in July called Darkness. This song is from it its called A Pattern of Distress". Everyone stops what they were doing and then reaches to the mic to start singing. The intro is acapella apart from a bass drum which is joined by clapping from the crowd.
"Ohay Ohay Ohay Ohay Ohayoh
Ohay Ohay Ohay Ohay Ohayoh
Ohay Ohay Ohay Ohay Ohayoh
Ohay Ohay Ohay Ohay Ohayoh"
Now the song is in full swing with Vin playing the addicting guitar riff. Billie sings and Matt and KC both start running back and forth across the stage by the time the chorus kicks in. During the chorus Billie screams like no one has ever heard him scream before as he gets right next to the barrier as close to the crowd as he can.
"[Verse 1]
Everytime I speak I'm a liar
For dust clouds all the truths
Every word I speak sets a fire
And FDNY never shall rest
[Verse 2]
So lay my sister down in the coffin!
Cover her in daddy's ashes
Put her next to all the soldiers
All the workers cops and firefighters
[Chorus]
set fire to the ashes
Let the marble char and crack
Set fire to the photos
If I can't be with the dead
Then I don't want them living anymore
[Verse 3]
Cars speed down the freeway
They crush families and flags
They drive and pollute everything
Mind and love and hope and free
[Verse4]
So lay my sister down in the coffin
Cover her with a ripping flag
Watch as a world cries
And as a nation stares in shock
[Chorus]
set fire to the ashes
Let the marble char and crack
Set fire to the photos
If I can't be with the dead
Then I don't want them living anymore
[Bridge]
Ohay Ohay Ohay Ohay Ohayoh
Ohay Ohay Ohay Ohay Ohayoh
Ohay Ohay Ohay Ohay Ohayoh
Ohay Ohay Ohay Ohay Ohayoh
[Chorus]
set fire to the ashes
Let the marble char and crack
Set fire to the photos
If I can't be with the dead
Then I don't want them living anymore"
The song ended as the cheers from the crowd echoed and screamed intermittently. Atmospheric keyboard noise began. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls" yelled Billie. They cheered. "we haven't actually played a festival in over a year probably a year and a half" he said. "And because of that were gonna do something special. We're gonna play a brand new song. You can get it as our newest single very soon. This song is called Days Spent in the Dark". A drum beat had gown as Billie spoke but then it stopped. Four eerie notes were played on the keyboard. The melody sunk in then drums joined in like it was a war. Soon guitar and bass to and Billie began in his dark, desperate tone to sing.
"Drink with the moon
And go around the outside
Til adrenaline kicks in
So swing from the dark trees
So go drown in the forest
Sing like you could back before
Before you screamed yourself hoarse
And days blurred to lifetimes
Were on our deathbed
So the clouds become therapy
and were addicted to the sadness
We can speak again
Were here to speak again
So we took these words and locked them in a temple
So we trapped our souls from freedom from anger
It was cold and silent
It was another day spent in the dark
we took our hearts and made them less painful
We took our scars covered them with makeup
But we weren't free; we were trapped by a facade
By our days spent in the dark
Take me to an ambulance my life doesnt work
Find me a coffin and a place to be born
I need a love and a life to restore
I wish I could fly like a bird overhead
And be innocent like a child who can say anything
So I would speak and then fly away
I want to speak again
I want to seize the day
I shall speak again
Seize the day
So we took these words and locked them in a temple
So we trapped our souls from freedom from anger
It was cold and silent
It was another day spent in the dark
we took our hearts and made them less painful
We took our scars covered them with makeup
But we weren't free; we were trapped by a facade
By our days spent in the dark
I take it all take it all back
Give me home or give me heart attack
Speak speak let me speak once more
Tell me theres no more hell in store
And cry cry cry my eyes out
I want to speak I have no doubt
Life life unlock my life
Or cut my wrists end it with a knife"
random noise faded with the crowds cheers. Before they were done cheering though, a loud drum beat started. But it wasn't Robert playing drums. Where was it coming from? Soon the first of a large percussion section of a marching band clad in bright red came onstage. "Alright" said Billie. '
This is our last song. I'm gonna need your help. Can you help me out?" the crowd answered him enthusiastically. "who wants to get on this stage for crumbling?" he asked the crowd. There was an immediate rush forwards as fans tried to either get onstage or get Billies attention. A few fans in the front row had already been invited onstage. The drum beat continued through all of this. Billie spoke through the mic pointing out people he wanted onstage. Then the song began. As the first chorus began a spray of confetti flew into the air as Billie left the stage and jumped into the crowd.
"[Verse 1]
Crumbling
I am crumbling
From my limbic system
To the marble pillars
Ashes to ashes, it all falls down
Is this the end of my time?
When the only light in this dark
Is my flag that they're burning
ooh oh oh, ooh oh oh
ooh oh oh, ooh oh oh
[Verse 2]
Crumbling
I am crumbling
From the tremors of absent fathers
Violence, hatred, from self to the crowds
Ashes to ashes it all falls down
[Prechorus 1]
Is this the end of my time?
When the only light in this dark
Is my flag that they're burning
[Chorus 1]
Of many I found no one
no one who could save my life
Falling so heavy
Before it's done no one will even know why
Even know why
[Verse 3]
Crumbling
I am freedom falling
I am no one!
Shaking and trembling
From the horrors that I've seen
Ashes to ashes it all falls down
[Prechorus 2]
Is this the end of my time?
When the only light in this dark
Is my flag that they're burning
[Chorus 2]
Of many I found no one
no one who could save my life
Falling so heavy
Before it's done no one will even know why
Even know why"
At this point there was a break in the song and the drums section went crazy. With help from a security guard Billie found his was back onstage which was now full. Then everything stopped. "Goodbye my son" yelled Billie above any other noise. The crowd started singing the chorus to Reported Failure's fairly succesful single. "Goodbye my love" shouted Billie. The crowd sang along with no other music in the background. In this way Reported Failure slowly left the stage with Billie the whole time helping the crowd sing acapella. Then finally he said "Goodnight." and left the stage...
Setlist1. My Name is William
2. Manufactured Radio
3. A Pattern of Distress
4. Days Spent In The Dark
5. Crumbling/Goodbye My Son
