Tonight is part of a sell out tour for London's High Vis, and it's great to see bands from the hardcore scene doing so well.
Rare Blood Group are first on tonight playing only their third ever gig. They are another band with roots in the hardcore scene, boasting members who have played in bands such as Voorhees, Rot In Hell and Send More Paramedics amongst others. They were nervous about playing tonight because they were unsure about how well they would be received as this is about as far away, sonically, from hardcore as you can get. They needn't have worried though because they are impressive and the audience reacts accordingly. This is 70s soft rock in the vein of Steely Dan, Bread and Jellyfish (yeah, I know they're not from the 70s), although there are Northern Soul touches too. Some of the more uptempo numbers have a Four Tops feel too. Atko's vocals are great. He sings in a higher register than he did in Gentleman's Pistols and they remind me a little of Frankie Valli although he doesn't quite have the same range (very few do). Top notch stuff.
High Vis open with '0151' (which vocalist, Graham Sayle, cheekily introduces as being about a place like Manchester but better) and this immediately disproves the notion that they're not a hardcore band and the crowd explodes into life immediately, reminding me of Down And Outs and American Nightmare shows from the mid noughties. The chorus still has an Oasis style swagger and there is some delicious Noel Gallagher-esque lead guitar work. 'Walking Wires' is Joy Division post-punk topped with hardcore vocals and it is incendiary. 'Fever Dream's swirling shoegaze shows a softer side but is still delivered with a feverish intensity. I also love the New Fads or early Charlatans style baggy guitar solo during this song. The crowd goes crazy for the pure hardcore punk of 'Altitude'. Every song sounds much harder than its studio counterpart. Graham puts so much into every word he sings, particularly on the emotional 'Trauma Bonds'. Closing number, Choose To Lose, is punchy and dynamic and invites further mayhem. A fantastic demonstration of why they're probably the best band in the UK.
High Vis *****
Rare Blood Group ****
No comments:
Post a Comment