Tonight, it pisseth. OK, for those of us here in the UK it’s been raining continuously for over 40 days, but this is truly biblical downpouring going on over the Bristol Channel, so much so that the normal 70-minute jaunt from Wales takes nearly 2 hours and makes me late for the scheduled start time for Norway’s openers Witch Club Satan (6).
Alien Weaponry (8) are a band that I’ve wanted to see for a while. It’s long way to travel from New Zealand to give us that privilege, but this antipodean threesome make short work of tearing the crowd a new hole or two as they lay into their dynamic, groovy, catchy but kidney-rattlingly brutal set.
Having both the audience and the band standing stock still for the openers means that the audience is more than ready for a bit of groove, and very quickly this room is buzzing with the band’s infectious energy. I have one gripe and that was at five songs this set was far too short, but then leaving people wanting more is the name of the game for any support act, and that they very much delivered.
I had forgotten how much I disliked this venue when it is full. From a plus side the sound is usually top notch here, but the layout sucks as unless you are lucky enough to be on the front at the balcony or in the pit the chances are your view is going to be obscured by someone when it’s as rammed as it is tonight.
This doesn’t seem to be a problem at first as when I arrive there’s no-one on stage apart from lighting and backing music, so I breathe an initial sigh of relief that I’m not the only one running late. Turns out I’m very wrong. Our lensman Alex has already left the pit for the designated three song grace period, and it turns out that the reason the band have departed the stage is for a fairly fundamental costume change. Or removal…
Corpse paint has always been a fundamental part of Black Metal’s vibe, but it takes me a moment to realise that these three ladies that this layer of white and black, plus some strategically placed long locks from their wigs, are the sum total of their stage gear for this half of their set.
Corpse paint has always been a fundamental part of Black Metal’s vibe, but it takes me a moment to realise that these three ladies that this layer of white and black, plus some strategically placed long locks from their wigs, are the sum total of their stage gear for this half of their set.
This sort of thing it appears is par for the course for this fiercely provocative trio, and it’s not surprising that Avatar have selected such a unique band to open the tour for them. They certainly have everyone’s attention as their shriek and roar through the brutally intense remainder of their set. The challenge I have is that musically this didn’t live up to the theatrics, and I find the songs to be a little unfocussed and in need of structure.
I reserve final judgement until I get to see a full sot and dig a little deeper, but this didn’t quite hit the spot in this barn of a venue, although I can see this working far more effectively in a more intimate and enclosed venue. I don’t have an issue with polemic and commentary, but with inter-song banter that is intended to provoke and disturb throwing everyone off and diminishing applause by not giving space for it, they didn’t get so much back from the audience as they put in.
I reserve final judgement until I get to see a full sot and dig a little deeper, but this didn’t quite hit the spot in this barn of a venue, although I can see this working far more effectively in a more intimate and enclosed venue. I don’t have an issue with polemic and commentary, but with inter-song banter that is intended to provoke and disturb throwing everyone off and diminishing applause by not giving space for it, they didn’t get so much back from the audience as they put in.
It’s an older crowd here tonight, and this might have been a step too far for some of them. I imagine 20 years ago that the same was said of the headliners…
Alien Weaponry (8) are a band that I’ve wanted to see for a while. It’s long way to travel from New Zealand to give us that privilege, but this antipodean threesome make short work of tearing the crowd a new hole or two as they lay into their dynamic, groovy, catchy but kidney-rattlingly brutal set.
It’s the first time I’ve seen a set opened with the drummer delivering a full-blown haka, and from his drum stool to boot, and it’s as disconcerting as it is for a rugby team coming up against the All Blacks for the first time after what went before, but they very quickly stop gimmicking and let the music do the shouting.
I’m quite impressed how all three of them are working some complex vocal harmonics together – mixing clean lines, death growls and all shades in between hugely effectively, but I do feel a little cheated towards the end of the set when as they get a bit shorter of breath it becomes clear that there’s a vocal click track in there creating some of that layering.
Having both the audience and the band standing stock still for the openers means that the audience is more than ready for a bit of groove, and very quickly this room is buzzing with the band’s infectious energy. I have one gripe and that was at five songs this set was far too short, but then leaving people wanting more is the name of the game for any support act, and that they very much delivered.
I had forgotten how much I disliked this venue when it is full. From a plus side the sound is usually top notch here, but the layout sucks as unless you are lucky enough to be on the front at the balcony or in the pit the chances are your view is going to be obscured by someone when it’s as rammed as it is tonight.
The fact that it this is so, is a testament to how hard Avatar (10) have worked their schtick to the point that despite pretty much doing what the fuck they like when they like in the face of all convention is why this crowd have shown up. They’ve been on my bucket list to see again for a while, and they have come a hell of a long way since I saw them unexpectedly take a main stage slot at Bloodstock back in 2014, but apart from the Ages series of live streams to celebrate their 20th anniversary (where they played all 8 of their studio albums to date back to back without boring anyone), I’ve not had the chance again until tonight.
The first surprise is that despite their headline status, there’s no significant setting or scenery in play, but despite the size of the venue the actual stage ain’t that big and it would not be the first time that a headliner used to squeezing out every inch of theatricality had to scale back their rigs to fit in here.
The first surprise is that despite their headline status, there’s no significant setting or scenery in play, but despite the size of the venue the actual stage ain’t that big and it would not be the first time that a headliner used to squeezing out every inch of theatricality had to scale back their rigs to fit in here.
As in 2014 that means that apart from a few significant props and gimps dressed up stagehands, the main focus has to be the band. It’s just as well, because tonight proved that they don’t need all that to deliver an over-the-top theatrical performance when you have such a well-oiled clockwork set of performers, who endlessly impress with their quirky movements from the drum stool, or synchronised moves from the rest of the instrumentalists that totally capture the attention. Then there’s frontman Johannes Eckerström…
This man’s vocal delivery and moves are totally enthralling in and of themselves, but it’s his inter-song banter with the crowd that really grabs you. Whereas earlier performers tonight jarred when sounding off-tradition, Eckerström takes the concept of ‘being a bit odd’ onstage and turns it into an artform. And my word is he funny with it…
Then there’s the music. Their look might be seen as either derivative or inspired from almost anyone since Arthur Brow and Alice Cooper onwards, but no-one sounds quite like Avatar. With ten albums worth of stuff to draw on, they can afford to be choosy, and it’s a broad and varied set that bounces around stylistically as each and every one of those records do.
This man’s vocal delivery and moves are totally enthralling in and of themselves, but it’s his inter-song banter with the crowd that really grabs you. Whereas earlier performers tonight jarred when sounding off-tradition, Eckerström takes the concept of ‘being a bit odd’ onstage and turns it into an artform. And my word is he funny with it…
Then there’s the music. Their look might be seen as either derivative or inspired from almost anyone since Arthur Brow and Alice Cooper onwards, but no-one sounds quite like Avatar. With ten albums worth of stuff to draw on, they can afford to be choosy, and it’s a broad and varied set that bounces around stylistically as each and every one of those records do.
Yet each song is also clearly Avatar, and their eclectic groove runs like consistently through like Blackpool rock, whether they’re digging up Metalcore of old, Melodeath of more recent times or the frankly bemusing Folk-Death opener Captain Goat from their most recent opus. I counted 17 tracks here tonight, and that’s value for money, and almost makes the thought of swimming back to Cardiff in the floods worthwhile.
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