By DJ Astrocreep
Transport issues abound once more as I head across the M62 to my second home of Manchester for a second gig in successive nights, as I take in the mighty Helmet for only the second time. Having previously travelled up to Glasgow to catch them, due to a schedule clash, it’s good to see them on what feels like home turf. Grabbing a pint as I arrive, I find there are surprisingly no supports for the show, so quickly head on down to claim my seat and prepare for the show.
There are clearly a couple of sound issues for Page Hamilton and co – seen as he keeps gesturing to the side of stage sound tech to adjust his mic and guitar, though there don’t seem to be many too phased by this. Hamilton seems to relax three or four songs into the set, though, buoyed, perhaps, by what is a good reaction to some excellently played hard rock. The entire band are tighter than a nun’s proverbials, which is a testament to just how high Hamilton’s standards remain, so many years on from breakthrough track ‘Unsung’.
A short, unexpected break before ‘Red Scare’, as the drummer breaks a cymbal and Hamilton shows his natural raconteur side, regaling us with a tale from a time playing at Graspop. As the tale goes, he saw KISS for the first time, as they headlined the main stage and recalls (and reenacts) the high pitch with which Paul Stanley announced they were having technical difficulties, to laughs from us all.
It’s also good that Hamilton shows the range he has compassed within the almost three and a half decades he has been in Helmet, going between hard rock, noise rock, doom rock and alternative metal, with sprinklings of more. The audience seem to be down for anything they want to throw at us tonight, too, showing love for every song, a small pit opening up fairly on and reappearing quite often, while the room around me bang their heads as if their lives depend upon it.
If there’s one thing that can be taken away from a show like this, it’s that talent doesn’t go away – even if it’s not as spotlit as it deserves to be. While their legacy may have truly started with ‘Unsung’ – which appears in the encore – back in 1992, it’s as bright on a stage as ever – even if some that could put a spotlight on it bizarrely seem not to do so. Fantastic musicianship from a talented, tight and highly capable act.
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