By Monk
One of the massive downsides of working (overly long) night shifts in one of the busiest and most demanding industries of them all (hospitality) is that I don’t get to as many gigs as I would have done before adopting this particular work regime – even less so when you factor in being called in for additional shifts due to last minute emergencies or simply feeling so knackered after a fortnight-long run that I simply can’t be arsed getting out of my pit, even if it is to enjoy a rambunctious evening of my favourite past-time, and that is being caught up in the middle of a hot and sweaty rock ‘n’ roll show. It’s a situation that makes climbing the narrow stairs to my favourite venue feel like more of a pilgrimage – especially when it is a show I was determined, short of hell freezing over and Ragnarok decimating the back streets of Belfast, not to miss… Yes, I had booked the night off months in advance and the “work” setting on my ‘phone was set to “fuck off…” as it was time to join a special anniversary party \m/
Taking up my usual position, sort of halfway between the merch and sound desks, it’s time to see if our opening act live up to their name and can ignite a suitable degree of enthusiasm for the evening’s celebrations.
Which were kicked off in style by south London deathcore dealers Burner, making a welcome if overlong return to these shores. Encouraging us all to “take one step forward”, the quartet launch into a fast and furious hardcore assault in and on every sense, displaying an unrelenting energy and pace which is similarly delivered, coupled with emotive intent and practised precision, yet retaining that all-important element of positive energizing attitude.
“I don’t care if you know us or not, I just want to your heads bang” sums up an intense and dynamic set filled with the right intoxicating mix of aggression, atmosphere and melody. A suitably declarative start to this evening’s proceedings.
Rapid fire staccato riffs pierce the room as precisely as the accompanying strobes, as Earthtone9 launch into this clebratory end-of-tour set with a delivery that is incisive as a surgeon’s knife cutting through a particularly sensitive tendon before changing the mood to a much darker mien which nevertheless sparks and energizes with its own coagulent and invasive pulsating energy.
The sound is one of those joyous mash-ups that is hard to pinpoint exactly where it is coming from or where it is going, hardcore-infused nu-metal vibes blending and infusing into elements of psych-rock, interjecting moments of almost proggy introspection into enervating and extrovert party anthems into an emphatic, powerful and uncompromising performance that befits both the gravity and the levity of the occasion.
While the purpose of this evening is to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their icon ‘ArcTanGent’ album, which they do so by playing it through, they suitably acknowledge that things, and they, have moved forward from then by rounding out the set with three songs from their most recent ‘In Resonance Nexus‘ opus, giving us something to look forward to when they roll back into this corner of the darkened Überverse in another couple of decades… although, hopefully, they won’t feel anniversaries are a need to bring the party…