The Joiners Arms in Southampton is a compact venue with quite some history behind it. They are celebrating their 55th Anniversary as a live music venue this year, which is pretty incredible in this day and age, when you think about it. All I can say is: long may this friendly and welcoming venue continue to thrive and provide performance space for real live music lovers.
The first support band of the night were Sunk. These Bournemouth boys looked like they really were going to be sunk from the off as the singer’s mic did not seem to be working at all! It seemed to kick in after a couple of songs though and the rest of the set progressed without a hitch. They definitely had a Down vibe going on, with a heavy guitar tone backed up by fat bass riffs and plodding drums. Their singer stomped around the front of the (still fairly sparse) crowd, bawling right into their faces and getting upfront and personal. They weren’t really my cup of tea but the set picked up a bit towards the end and I would recommend that fans of doomy sludge metal check them out if they should be playing locally to you.
Editor’s note: no pics of Sunk as they were local support in Southampton. Angela was covering photo duties for us in Glasgow where the excellent Catalysis filled that opening slot.
Back at the turn of the century, I was a very big fan of a certain metal band from Bridgend in Wales, which many of you may well have heard of. Two ex-members of that band now form the backbone of Kill The Lights, so I was excited to check out how they were getting on, two albums into the bands’ career. After a rousing Churchill intro (there will, indeed, ‘be no surrender’) and the storming “Shed My Skin”, the front end of the set was then loaded with material from the second, and most recent, album, Death Melodies. The first of these, “Hear You Scream”, was heralded by bassist Jay James’ distinctive gut-wrenching bellow and clean vocalist, James Clark, taking over the reins from thereon in.
Kill the Lights’ songs are powerful riff-driven affairs, with pounding drums (courtesy of Michael ‘Moose’ Thomas) and well-crafted melodic metal(core?) songs liberally peppered with shredded solos (Travis Montgomery and Jordan Whelan). The band’s playing is as tight as a very tight thing and the galloping riffs of “Scapegoat” and “Broken Bones” have a distinctive Maiden-a-la-Bullet seasoning, which elevate them above the run-of-the-mill metalcore pursued by many.
The band’s passion for the music shines through their performance and Jay’s intense gurning on stage should leave you in no doubt. I seem to recall that their debut album, Sinner, had mixed reviews upon its release, although I know I bought it, but the tail-end of the set comprised four of its fist-pumping tracks, including fast-paced “The Enemy” and “The Faceless”. The latter is for those of us who ‘…march to the sound of a broken drum…’ I had to get my air-guitar out for that one.
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Not long after I started reviewing the gigs I was going to (way back in the mists of time… 2004…ish), I have a memory of being welcomed into The Camden Underworld and a test tube of Jägermeister being thrust into my hand by a very hyped-up guy on the merch stand. Let’s just say I don’t think he had been drinking the Jäger… This may have been a Viking Skull gig (brilliant, no-nonsense metal) but it may well have been another, closely affiliated, band that I had started checking out at about the same time: Raging Speedhorn. Having enjoyed their live shows several times since then, from other London venues to festivals, I had a fairly good idea what to expect tonight. And I was certainly not disappointed.
Now seven studio albums in to their chaos, the band has evolved a fair bit over the years, with many line-up changes, including a six-year hiatus in the middle of it all. Tonight’s set concentrated on songs from the first two albums, bolstered by two tracks from the (really rather good) new album, Night Wolf. The latter were well received, particularly the very catchy single “Every Night Is Alright For Fighting”, which smashes its way through your brain whether you like it or not! (I look forward to a future collab/mash up with Elton…ha, a guy can dream.) The Speedhorn sound is best described as grooved-up stoner metal with a healthy dash of sludge but I prefer the term ‘Gumshield metal’. Anyone who has been in the pit at a Speedhorn gig will know why.
Mic problems seemed to be a persistent issue tonight but it was only a slight detraction from the effective dual vocal attack and tight musicianship on show. Whilst all of the tracks are played with a brash and brutal edge, my favourites still have a very satisfying groove to them. Neck ache was almost certainly guaranteed for Wednesday morning when the likes of “Thumper”, “Superscud”, “Spitfire” and the classic “Fuck The Voodooman” are being let loose into the world!
My only gripe this evening was the shortness of the set. It seemed as though all the bands on the line-up played for the same amount of time tonight. I agree that it should be about quality not quantity but still… And as for that (possibly) first Raging Speedhorn gig in Camden back in the day, I do have another memory. I woke up the next day with a broken nose. I do not remember quite how it happened, officer. The power of music eh?
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Photos by Skull Lens Photography
