Coheed and Cambria

Canal Club was stuffed almost from wall to wall for Coheed and Cambria on Saturday. Located Downtown off of East Cary Street, this bar and concert hall normally hosts local bands but this New York-based band took over for one night for this Y101 concert event.

Coheed and Cambria, recently at the Warped Tour this summer, rocked with bands such as Story of the Year, Yellowcard, and NOFX. Now, they are on tour with Underoath and 3 until late November.

With their sophomore release “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3,” Coheed and Cambria are increasingly mainstream with their single “A Favor House Atlantic” on major radio stations and a music video to their song on Fuse and MTV.

To fit Coheed and Cambria in one category is impossible. Their musical influences range from metal to pop, from “emo” to punk. One major factor that distinguishes them from all the rest is the lead singer, Claudio Sanchez. Though most can pick him out in a crowd with his fro-like curly hair and his two lip piercings, his voice certainly stands out. People comment on how they find his voice very annoying, ranging from high-pitch (almost feminine in sound) to a low whisper and back again.

Though the band members themselves did not have an active stage presence, the audience made up for what they lacked energy-wise. The mood of the song directly influenced the audience. Since most of Coheed and Cambria’s set list consisted of energetic and up-beat songs from their two CDs “The Second Stage Turbine Blade” and “In Keeping Secrets…”, mosh-pits and massive, full-audience body-slamming ensued. The only time when it was calm was during “The Light & The Glass,” a song that starts off slow and melodic and increases with intensity. Those who had lighters swayed with their open flames to the music. Those who had significant others slow danced and looked endearingly into each other eyes. Other than the one ballad, the audience screamed every word to the band’s songs, thrashed their bodies into others and truly enjoyed their evening.

Coheed and Cambria was on target with all of their songs. In fact, the audience sang the words by heart.

Overall, the show was certainly one to remember.