Another school night gig finds us at KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton once again. This time it’s in the more intimate surroundings of the smaller lounge room for Finnish rockers Lost Society, their tour mates North Atlas and local heroes, Born Zero (8).
Building on their M2TM Birmingham Final appearance, Born Zero are gaining a reputation for high energy shows that get the crowd bouncing. Tonight they open up with that same enthusiasm, treating us to tracks from their debut EP Zero Tolerance.
Blending the sounds of hardcore straight from the back streets of Brum with 90’s inspired groove metal, front man Levi is the focal point with his relentless prowling around the stage and being the epitome of an angry young man with lots to say. This is a young band who are still honing their sound and stage craft but if they continue to play shows like this they’ll soon be attracting the attention of promoters far and wide.
Hailing from North of the border, North Atlas (8) bring a completely different style and vibe to the evening. Initially sounding very industrial, they proceed to expand on their sound with a hybrid of melodic rock and metal. The mix of electronic samples, pulsating rhythm sections and strong vocals combined with a bunch of confidently delivered songs give this a band a unique sound. They also take the prize for longest title of an EP this year with their latest release The Longest Shadow Attached To The Ankle which they showcase tonight with three tracks.
On then to tonights headliners, Lost Society (8). Hard to think that these lads have been around for over a decade now and have built a loyal worldwide fanbase as they’ve experimented and evolved their sound.
Opening up with the song 112 the opening track from their latest album If The Sky Came Down, they show that they’ve evolved and matured. Gone are the heavy thrash guitars and now we have more of a nod to a nu-metal/emo. At times we get a glimpse of that earlier version of LS with tracks like N.W.L and Kill (Those Who Oppose Me), but even those have been reworked to give them a softer edge to appeal to a newer audience.
Front man Sammy Elbanna is as exuberant as ever and I can see why they’ve made this change in their sound and it’s appeal to a younger audience, but alas it’s not rocking my boat tonight and I long for some dirty thrash riffs, but they seem comfortable with this new direction and songs like (We Are The) Braindead do have a tantalising hint of their heavier days.
Is this the final evolution of this band? Or will they continue to experiment and diversify? Who knows, but at the moment they are riding this wave with a youthful swagger so you can’t knock them for that.
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