We join Terris and Coldplay at the close of an extensive double headlining tour of the UK. With both being touted in the music press as 'the next big thing', you can sense the weight of expectation in the small yet enthusiastic crowd.
Coldplay take to the stage first. What immediately strikes is their relaxed confidence, in particular the humorous self-deprecating demeanour of frontman Chris Martin. It is clear after tonight's warmly received performance that they can afford to revel in the hype surrounding them.
Indeed, despite their similarities with other anthemic, epic rock bands, Coldplay have the tunes to pull it off. Their sound is both despairing and uplifting; resembling a rainy morning in Blackpool, replaced with the warm glow of the sun in the afternoon.
Take the Embrace-esque piano driven epic of 'Brothers and Sisters', except less contrived seriousness and more quirkiness. They then move easily between lone acoustic guitar to the American sounding folk of 'Shiver'. Whilst Coldplay produce nothing outrageously original, with their versatile sound the future looks bright.
For Terris this is their second visit to the Arts Centre and on neither occasion has the crowd enthralled over their brand of funk driven rock. This is a shame.
Vocalist Gavin Goodwin, despite the endless touring, is full of intensity and contorted energy. Indeed, the band's miserable visual approach belies the confidence currently surging through their veins.
This is exemplified on the well constructed, if slightly formulaic 'Searching for the Switches'. In fact Terris suffer from a paranoid desire to make sturdy 'rock by numbers', when a carefree approach to their songwriting may prove profitable.
That said, Terris and Coldplay jointly prove that rock and roll is perhaps not limping to its death after all and that glorious salvation could still be provided by whippersnappers such as these.
