Live Review

Pulled Apart By Horses – 100 Club, London

• 25th Jun 2010

The 100 Club has been promoting live music on the same premises since 1942 and has played host to some of the biggest names in music including Oasis, the Rolling Stones, the Sex Pistols & the Who…

Tonight, the 100 club played host to not one, but three fantastic performers – the supports (Bo Ningen & Chickenhawk) holding their own just as much as the headliner – the mighty Pulled apart by horses.

… I think it’s fair to say a large percentage of us will swan into a show all but missing the supports, maybe catching the tail end of the main (well, I do) and it was pure chance this evening that led to us making an early arrival at the 100 club, and it’s just as well we did…

Leeds based Chickenhawk were the first band to grace the stage, the force from on stage demonstrated true passion and the performance was so slick (but so damn dirty) it’d make the soundest of minds start to feel a little bit twisted… ‘I hate this, do you like it’ was an absolute highlight of the performance, you can head over to their myspace and listen to this track here: [link]

If you arrived after this point it’s fair to say you seriously missed out, but not all hope is lost…

For fans of Japanese four piece, Bo Ningen, tonight I’m sure would have been a treat, but personally it took a little bit longer for these guys to stick! The initial uncertainty soon subsided as the crowd visibly started to come alive as if bo ningen had secretly set off an electrical current under the floor (I certainly wouldn’t put it past them!) … their feral punk/metal approach clearly sets them apart from a lot of the other up and coming bands in London, finishing the set scraping guitars up against anything and everything, grinding themselves into a manic looking trance, it’s pretty clear these guys are ones to watch… check them out here: [link] … needless to say, they turned my initial perceptions right around.

At this point, the room is pretty rammed, and the sweat is pouring – the buzz is fantastic as Pulled apart by horses take to the stage amid frenzied applause…

The quartet’s explosive set was near perfect, although it was clear the band weren’t used to the spotlight, with singer Tom Hudson apologetically admitting part way through the set “we’re not used to playing for so long, I think we’re going to have to fill the gaps with talking” .. the fact is, he needn’t have announced it, their performance was easily one of the best I’ve witnessed… recent single ‘back to the fuck yeah’ was executed with a rare kind of raw passion and it was equally well received. Favorites like ‘punched a lion in the throat’ and ‘e=mc hammer’ however, will ALWAYS get the required reaction. The obscenely powerful post-hardcore hammering you get at a PABH gig is unforgettable, this band are going to just keep getting bigger… and with the likes of radio 1 waiting in the wings to interview them post performance, it’s clear the ‘right’ people (as some may define it) are turning their heads… and rightly so!

The new album is available NOW on Transgressive you can order it here: [link]

The band are also performing at the following dates:

16 Jul 2010 – 2000 Trees Festival, Cheltenham
24 Jul 2010 – Off The Cuff Festival, Birmingham
25 Jul 2010 – Truck Festival, Oxford
30 Jul 2010 – Kendal Calling, Kendal
7 Aug 2010 – Hevy Festival, Kent
27 Aug 2010 – Reading Festival, Reading
29 Aug 2010 – Leeds Festival, Leeds
4 Sep 2010 – Supporting Muse @ Manchester LCCC
2 Sep 2010 – End of the Road Festival, Dorset