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Therapy? - Scopophobia DVD
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by Christopher Lloyd
Belfast's Therapy? Have been rocking the world's stages for over ten years. From their first EP 'Babyteeth' through to this year's 'High Anxiety', they have consistently delivered the goods, even if critical acclaim has been somewhat varied. 'Scpopophobia' is their first DVD release, and it gathers up eleven promotional videos, spanning the band's career so far, as well as a homecoming gig from the High Anxiety tour earlier this year, and a not too intriguing Q and A session.

The gig, like most Therapy? gigs, is superb. Therapy? play their hearts out, and they do it EVERY TIME. In this time of hyped-up cod rock bands (hello Linkin Park), who seem to be in it for the quick buck, this is what we REALLY need.

The videos on the DVD are pretty standard stuff, mostly band performances mixed with dark imagery, The 'Troublegum'/'Infernal Love'-era being the exception, where the videos take a pretentious big budget approach which doesn't quite suit the music. The problem with promo videos is that band performances always seem false - you really need a good director with a good plot to keep you interested, and there just aren't enough good directors around. The exception on this collection is 'Lonely, Crying, Only', probably Therapy?'s most underrated single, where a beheaded Andy Cairns sings to his love from his living room floor before she returns his head to his guitar-wielding body by the track's finale.

Before its release, 'Scopophobia' was to feature a history of the band from beginning to now, using home tape footage, TV clips and plenty of fans' archive material - which promised to be a really good viewing, but for some reason this just hasn't materialised. Instead, we get a tour diary, showing the band on the German leg of their tour, and countless backstage footage. It leaves you feeling like you really needed to be there in order to enjoy it.

So, a bit of a let down by way of content, but the concert itself makes up for that, and anyone willing to part with fifteen quid to own it is in for an aural treat. Just skip the vids.

  • Therapy? 7 / 10
Words: Christopher Lloyd

Therapy? - Scopophobia DVD

You might have a job finding the backstage footage unless you know where to look. Basically, wait about 30 seconds on the main menu and watch what happens...

Therapy? - Scopophobia DVD

Thanks for that - I was wondering where the promised backstage footage was.

Although it's great to watch another live show by Therapy?, the DVD as a whole is a big disappointment. The videos just recycle the same idea, basically just the band performing the song, and are shot really badly. They just look tacky. The Q & A is a waste of time - the only member with anything to say is Andy Cairnes, and it would have been better to have done an in-depth interview. The show is OK, but on screen the band just doesn't seem as exciting as they have when I've seen them live. And what a shame that Therapy?'s recent live sets have consisted of very little more than tracks from Troublegum and High Anxiety. They have so many good songs - some variety would have been nice.

Therapy? - Scopophobia DVD

Having been at the gig I found the DVD great except for the way the sound was done it lost some of the live energy.