TREP, Endeavour & Throwing Knives, Fuel Rock Club
“Get out of your house and out to the halls and clubs. Stop listening to the same music over & over and dreaming about “the good ol’ days”. The best days are now! There is incredible music being created out there! Join us don’t fight us!” The wise words of one Dee Snider, frontman of Twisted Sister a couple of weeks ago on Twitter. Whilst I think Snider is a bit of a hypocrite, his words ring true. Oh so true. Whilst Cardiff braced for the next storm, which I think was actually happening in the Tramshed as the Napalm Death event drew punters from far and wide, a few hardy souls ventured to the ever windy Womanby Street and the sanctuary of Fuel Rock Club for a night of new and original music. And for those that made the effort, the rewards were ample.
Throwing Knives (7) have been around for several years and play a combination of dirty punk rock with a bit of metal core and rap thrown in for good measure. Whilst the band’s music doesn’t do that much for me, their stage presence combined with humour and an approach that says “fuck it, we’re doing this regardless” wins me over. The first award of the night went to bassist Steve Hubbard, breaking his string after the first song but soldiering on regardless, although cursory glances at the set list determined what he could play. Playfully cajoled by vocalist Brett Davies, “you don’t need four strings anyway” the band ploughed through their set at pace and with a vibrant tempo, their songs cutting a vicious swathe. Throwing in a new track towards the end prompted a solid response from the audience and as Hubbard decided to enter the pit area for a bit of ‘kick my foot about a bit’ the small gathering cheered their approval. Throwing Knives are certainly improving and are well worth checking out.
There was disappointment that Pembrokeshire metallers In Which It Burns had to pull out due to illness. In Which It Burns are normally very entertaining, but we have it on good authority that for one night only frontman Stretch decided to be a right cunt. So, a big fat 0 for them!
Bristol based Endeavour (8) have been around for several years and have established a strong reputation with their powerful brand of progressive metal. Led by the energetic Chris Hawkins whose vocals it has to be said struggled at times to cut through the maelstrom, the band demonstrated that their reputation is fully deserved. Iain GT Davies’s fluid guitar work added to the band’s work, whilst the linked foundation of Ben Hands (bass) and Jake Stone (drums) provided a solid base for Endeavour to work from. I’d last seen the band at Bloodstock in 2017 when their Bring Upon The Rising Day EP had not long been released. Their songs tend to be quite long and complex, but despite this the sparse crowd (mainly members of Trep and Throwing Knives and a smattering of paying customers) were engaged, responding to Hawkins constant urging for horns, banging of heads and engagement. Funnily enough, the on-off battle that Hawkins had with his beanie hat was one of the most amusing sights of the entire evening. Was he struggling with the follicle challenges that portrayed him as Strapping Young era Devin, or just cooling down? I’ll leave that open to debate. Endeavour are a solid band who I understand are working on new material.
It’s been a mere three months since I last saw Trep (9) in the same venue. The band impress every time they play and deserve a larger crowd than the one they pulled, although the presence of Pritchard (Dirty Sanchez) surely equals two punters. In fact, it was alumni heavy, with the front row comprising Power Quest guitarist Glyndwr Williams, Democratus bassist Stu ‘Spoon’ Rake, and the axe slingers from Blind Divide, James and Adam. Despite the presence of such legends, Trep seriously don’t care and put on another masterclass in their progressive rock and metal. Bassist Sam Green excels on stage, never stops with the one liners, and appears to be tolerated with resigned acceptance by drummer Max Hill and guitarist and vocalist Rhys Evans. Musically Trep continue to develop, their strong Lucian EP once more providing the foundations for a set that whizzed by despite the late start. If you haven’t seen these guys yet, you really need to sort your life out. Progressive, measured and yet with a vibrancy you cant always capture in words, Trep should be seen live. They are that good.
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