I opted stupidly to go to the football (which was terrible) rather than come for the whole day, meaning that I've missed Goblinsmoker, Sugar Horse and Wallowing among others by the time I get here.
I arrive at the venue whilst Blanket are playing. The first song I catch is post-rock which sounds like a heavy Radiohead. It is simultaneously weighty and beautiful, and the vocals are lovely. A new track starts off with swirling guitars and drum fills before veering off into post-hardcore territory which sounds like Quicksand meets Biffy Clyro. Deftones are probably an influence too. The remainder of the set is more pitched in the post-hardcore direction which is less interesting than the first song I heard. The final track is pretty hypnotic though.
Much like the bassist and guitarist's Black Flag and Assuck's shirts suggest, Slabdragger's approach to sludge has a punk edge much like Eyehategod, although they are a bit tighter than that band. Some of the grooves they lock into are monstrous. There's some big Sabbath vibes at times too. Although the riffs are slow, they are played with a certain amount of savagery which actually makes them quite dynamic. The guitar tone is very 'Earth 2' which is always satisfying. The set ends with all three members stage diving and crowd surfing above the audience to cap a successful show.
The first couple minutes of Boss Keloid's set starts with some horrible Red Hot Chilli Peppers' style funk before normal service is resumed and they launch into their doom with progressive and post-metal touches. 'Gentle Clovis' possesses a crushing groove. They are quite unique sounding with guitar work which sounds like a much heavier Tom Morello. They end up starting the more hardcore/noise rock influenced 'Skipper's Pipes' again as they aren't happy with something (I'm not sure what) but it still impresses with it's intense Helmet vibe. There's some Eastern style touches and even a slight Led Zeppelin influence at one point. When singer Alex opens up, he has a pretty good voice which reminds me of Eddie Vedder in the cleaner bits. The Pearl Jam infuence doesn't end there as the closing number 'Smiling Thrush' sounds like if Pearl Jam tried to play super heavy doom. This may not sound that good but like everything else it is excellent.
Conan create an undeniable rumble which incites mass headbanging from start to finish, and a constant stream of stagedivers from the second or third song onwards It's pure volume but it is irresistible. It's hard to describe individual parts because it's more of an experience of noise and intensity which you take as a wholesale barrage similar to a Sunn0))) show, only with tunes. There's fast bits and super slow parts but there's enough variety that it doesn't get boring. They play a terrific 'Volt Thrower' but individual songs don't really matter, it's more how it feeds into the whole experience. A driving, pounding 'Invinciblade' closes.
Conan ****
Boss Keloid ****
Slabdragger ****
Blanket ***
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