Live Review

Evil Scarecrows – Krazyhouse, Liverpool

• 6th Nov 2007

Imagine if you had the opportunity to catch someone like Metallica, before they released ‘Kill em’ all’, Pantera when they were just starting out, playing clubs to small crowds. Well it’s important to remember that all bands started somewhere, unknowns trying to get discovered.

Its tough to recall the last time the Krazyhouse had an all dayer – seriously, can anyone remember?

Today’s schedule is somewhat skewed as the derby starts at one this afternoon and it’s tough for Colombia & Break the Omerta who have to battle through the prospect of the audience comprising of only other band members.

The event gets underway properly with Hollowpoint’s set. Demonstrating just how effective straight up metal can be Hollowpoint mix the sound of Megadeth’s ‘Take no prisoners’ with all the pioneers of nineties metal and beyond. ‘Printed wisdom’ coming across as the most complete idea, but it’s the sheer enjoyment and recklessness of ‘Ludicrous speed’ that makes it difficult not to like them, and it’s clear most of the bands today have a fondness for HP -mainly because there is no pretension at all and that they are genuinely nice guys- bassist Andy introducing himself to everyone and one or more members of Hollowpoint watch every band who play tonight.

It’s fair to say next band Antichamber struggle.Their sound and approach just isn’t rousing enough ‘Never ever’ feels like undirected energy, which can be a good thing but in this case it’s fingers and thumbs when it should be kicks and punches, fists and shouting. ‘Unspoken’ is the kind of riff you can play for days, but ultimately to elevate it you have to take it somewhere.

Somewhat out trailer park metaling our U.S friends Sons of Merrick throw an incredible amount of energy into the set- so much so in fact that the guitarist breaks his ‘A’ string, not a beat is missed and during an interval between songs a replacement is procured and tuned – several guitarists are impressed. What’s more impressive is the quality of songs. With virtually no verbalization between tunes they get their point well and truly across. With a Pearl jam intelligence and lyrical prose Sons of Merrick embrace the working mans metal.

Slightly late but still greeted like the favourite uncles, Stone Baby are most welcome with their mix of stoner metal playing a relaxed set that seems effortless and enjoyable until ‘No more justice’ sneaks up and removes your face -don’t be fooled by the smiles- Stone Baby know exactly what they are doing.

Like a lion following a herd of antelope, crowds can sense inexperience, fear and most of all when a bands heart is not completely into what they are doing. Second Nature are missing something, yes the songs are complete if a little contrived and weighted down with potentially unnecessary electronic samples; but it’s more than that, there appears to be a dress code within the band and one that half of them seem uncomfortable with. It becomes very evident from the outset that lead singer is the controlling entity and this would not normally signal a problem, but his unsure movements and crowd interaction fail to draw you in – the people showing cursory interest before heading the bar unfortunately missing ‘Painless’, one of the better songs in Second Nature’s set.

It was always going to be tough seeing Sevenyearsdead live. How were they going to encapsulate the quality of ‘To the ruin of it all’ in a live environment? Certainly it would be difficult in twenty five minutes; but y’see SYSD have so many strong riffs and ideas that it simply means a set brimming with power.
Just how good is ‘Postrendgeneration’, with its call and response lead line?
‘Blindfold’ just taking on a life of it’s own, as a live rendition should do, going over and above what’s recorded by combining it with a strong visual style. No moment is wasted; no riff squandered and with three bands left SYSD could walk away with band of the day and no-one could really stop them.

If any band stood a chance of taking the honours it would be Godsized, their beer fuelled brutality, black label style in an unrepentant raise of the glass to Zakk and blues booze metal.
It would be unfair to completely tar them with the black label brush because they do try every thing the bar has, mixing it up with old school guitar harmony lines and synchronized guitar scrapes. For the most part they sit comfortably in some smoke filled club Between BLS and Corrosion of Conformity and it produces some of the best material of the evening.

Zuproski Connection are now moving in more determined circles, their songs seem more deliberate and their direction is becoming clearer. What isn’t clearer is tonight’s sound, namely the vocal mics and it hampers their set. Despite this, they draw on one of the largest crowds of the evening and their support is reciprocated with a cover of Tool’s ‘Stinkfist’, most bands unable to do it justice let alone throw it up against their own songs but there’s that ZC confidence that comes from their ability to have faith in what they are doing. ‘Redeemer’ and ‘Nada’ just on the fringes of trends and proving better off for it.

And so it’s left to Evil Scarecrow to close the proceedings and as people flood into the K-tonight Tim Wheeler of Ash fame will be dj’ing – The crowd seem hell bent on a good performance, and that’s what it is: a performance, tongue in rotting cheek comedy metal, playing to both extremes with dance routines and shape throwing alongside fist waving and dripping fake blood. That’s the best way to enjoy them and with ‘Sixty six minutes past six’ and ‘I smell of death but I still smell better than you’ it’s a package not to dissimilar to a Death metal take on Zombina and the Skeletones or Send More Paradmedics.

It takes an incredible amount of organization to put all these bands on, yeah you can find new bands at the click of a mouse, in seconds, but when was the last time you had whiplash from head banging at the front of a gig -your ears ringing the next day from an amplified e chord or the insatiable desire to tell someone about a band you’d seen? -for a few that was tonight.