I do like The Globe. As a venue it has bags of character (what with it being a former cinema), has a balcony (a rarity for a venue of it’s capacity) and usually boasts a solid sound too. So when a band I am a fan of announce a show in a venue I am a fan of I do my best to be there. On this night the band in question was Evil Scarecrow who were on the first date of a whistle-stop UK tour on which they were promising a new show: Evil Scarecrow… In Space!
First up on the night though, were local six-piece Sentry (6), who are one of those bands that have three guitarists. I know this is just my preference but I can’t hear the difference that the extra guitarist gives you when compared to having two, especially live. Additionally, the six members of the band looked a bit cramped on the Globe’s relatively small stage, especially with the headliner’s stage set and back line already set up. Vocalist Danny Rees must have realised this as it wasn’t long into their set when he decamped to the floor to give a bit more room to his bandmates. Their brand of aggressive metal with a touch of groove didn’t really grab me to be honest, but their performance was enjoyable if largely forgettable as far as I’m concerned.
Next to try and find room to manoeuvre on stage was touring support act Witch Tripper (7). Being a three-piece they had a significantly easier time of it stage room wise and put on an eye-catching, high-energy performance. Unfortunately for me their brand of stoner rock was another style that didn’t particularly grab me but the performance was fun to watch, with guitarist/vocalist Richie Barlow’s stage presence being particularly noteworthy. The penultimate song of their set Hell Bound was very much this writers’ favourite, quite probably because of it being the highest tempo song of the set. Nevertheless their set was enjoyable to watch but in all likelihood I probably wouldn’t go to see them in a headline setting. (You don't know what you're missing - Ed)
If you’ve ever seen an Evil Scarecrow (8) show before you’ll already know that audience participation is very much the order of the day. Almost every song has some ridiculous accompanying dance, chant, noise or occasionally all at once. To steal a phrase from the long-running Radio 4 comedy show I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue: front Dr Hell gives the audience silly things to do and the band set them to music. In amongst all the silliness though lies a bunch of incredibly talented musicians, who are writing extremely solid metal tunes; they just happen to be topped off with ludicrous lyrics.
The band sauntered on stage to the strains of Stan Bush’s 80’s tune You’ve Got The Touch which is probably most noted for being on the soundtrack to a Transformers movie, which is indicative of the kind of references the band drop on numerous occasions. They also dropped the relatively deep cut, and title track of their 2009 album, Sixty-Six Minutes Past Six. Other ridiculousness included the actual square dance for Robototron, a hilariously over-complicated crowd sing-along of Cosmos Goth Moth Gong, the sexy dance off associated with Red Riding Hood and the grand finale that was the whole room (and I do mean the *whole* room) scuttling from left to right on command during set closer Crabulon. We also had a “new” song that was in fact an ad libbed aside about Emmerdale Farm along with the usual multiple renditions of (alleged) Welsh-exclusive ad-lib tune Sheep.
At this point I should mention the band’s “In Space” stage set, which was apparently inspired by Total Recall and looked great, in the bands’ usual Blue Peter-esque way. They also had a couple of those seemingly ubiquitous LED panels either side of the stage. The fact that the band continue to evolve and add to their show, albeit in their usual charmingly DIY fashion, is I think a testament to both the size of their ambitions and imaginations. It’s very much a shame that said imagination is clearly currently outstripping the venues they are playing which was literally and metaphorically demonstrated on this night when one of those wacky inflatable arm flailing tube people - that used to be so beloved of WWE’s Bayley before the heel turn - sprang up at the end of Hurricanado and promptly reached the ceiling of the venue, which *just about* prevented it’s full extension. Said tube person managed to maintain their professionalism however and continued to smile throughout what must have been a somewhat uncomfortable ordeal.
For a band that have released just four albums and two EPs since 2006 you could hardly accuse Evil Scarecrow of being massively prolific, but that’s not their point. Their point is to have a bit of fun and as far as I’m concerned an Evil Scarecrow show is always a fun show, and long may that continue.
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