By Jase Walker
Despite the ridiculous amount of rain in Manchester today, it seems to have held out for me to get to the Deaf Institute in one piece without looking like a drowned rat.
I’ve gotten myself propped up in the seats at the back of the stage area and ready for Body Water who are on almost immediately after the doors open. Their style is probably a bit at odds with the likes of Phoxjaw and Blood Command with their sleek rock ‘n’ roll style that echoes a lot of ’70s and ’80s femme rock. Despite that I’m pretty sure their guitarist is rocking a Matt Bellamy guitar with a Korg Kaos pad built into the bridge area of their guitar so I wonder if we’ll see some unusual guitar licks and effects from him as the show goes on.
Their sound reminds me of a more contemporary rock ‘n’ roll band, Starbenders. Tasty guitar licks, a solid rhythm section and vocals that go from tender and soft to really ramping up the volume and belting their choruses out. While they’re definitely not the sort of thing I’d listen to normally, it’d be foolish not to give them full credit on a great live performance that’s been great to watch and listen to. Despite being somewhat out of place with the two main acts, they’ve done a great job and came across really well.
Second on tonight is Phoxjaw, one of the hardest to pigeonhole bands I’ve come across in a long time. Then again, most ArcTanGent-adjacent bands tend to be a bit puzzling at the best of times. But getting to see them up close and personal as opposed to the massive festival stages they’ve been on this year is a treat. One thing that always stands out with Phoxjaw is how unbelievably massive their bass player’s tone is: I really can’t think of another band that rolls with the same level of outrageously loud bass. Wonderfully discordant in the way you’d expect a mathcore band to be, mixed in with punk ethos and you get whatever the fuck Phoxjaw are.
To add into the frequent cacophony of sounds, one of the guitarists sometimes switches back to a keyboard and effects pad and absolutely beats the shit out of it, all adding to the layered, thick sound that Phoxjaw puts out. Seeing Phoxjaw live also puts into focus just how catchy some of their parts can be even in the middle of them kicking out their more bizarre and frantic sections. In the midst of the discord, there’s beautiful melodies, within the frantic time signature changes, there’s a real funky beat and the vocals are ever passionate and in your face.
Their thoughtful layering in each song is never overdone or too much, and despite the crowd not being particularly active with movement, they are all clearly captivated and completely focused on the band. Right at the end they decide to just cut loose, the bass player jumping on the bar throwing his bass around, one if the guitarists grabs a mic and screams into it, shortly after “garroting” the bass player with the lead and then crawling between the legs of the other guitar player while he throws his guitar into the air. Mental.
Definitely one of the most unique acts around right now, I struggle to think of anyone else that even comes close to the atypical style they’ve got.
Following more blisteringly fast set changeovers, it’s time for Blood Command. I’ve stayed naive on what they’re like to get a real fresh experience from them so I’m looking forward to seeing what they’re like! The first song immediately sees movement starting in the crowd, people are definitely awake now. The striking thing for me immediately switching gears from something that’s hardcore aligned to a chorus that is closer to the sort of pop rock/metal that Vukovi and YONAKA are well known for. There’s a really interesting blend of styles here, it’s poppy, it’s heavy, it’s melodic, it’s real good bloody fun, wow!
Their singer has the crowd wrapped around her finger, they’re responding to every single thing she motions for them to do, almost everyone is jumping around and losing their minds! I mean we’re barely even past the start of the set and she’s already dived into the audience for a bit of crowd surfing! They sound bloody fantastic as well, I will never not remark on a live show where the bass is felt strongly, it does so much to carry an energetic show and this is no different. It’s great how some songs can be essentially pop-punk and others can be mathcore that’s reminiscent of Rolo Tomassi, superb variety.
I think coming into this naive was a great idea because I’ve been watching this show with a massive grin on in awe of catching an incredible show like this! At one point the singer actually tears up at the sight of the crowd going wild and singing back the songs back at the band. Blood Command have been a joy to experience visually as well, even the song introductions seem rehearsed as the rest of the band signs the words as their singer speaks them. The crowd barely needs any sort of direction, independently waving their arms in unison, jumping around and generally just going mental to every song. It’s been great trying to get action photos of the show as it’s progressed because of how involved everyone is as well. Even the guys from Phoxjaw get stuck in with a bunch of crowd surfing on their last song, go on lads!
This has been an absolute joy to watch, it really has. Blood Command is immediately going onto my “rinse their back catalogue” list. I’ve loved everything they’ve done in this set and I’ll be getting flashbacks to tonight for months to come. Blood Command are insane, you would do well to not miss a chance seeing these live. Mental.
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