Tonight is sold out and even though I arrive well in time for the support act, it is already pretty busy by the time I get in here. The crowd seems to be made up predominately of goth girls. What this means is that Moth Slut get a terrific reception as soon as they take to the stage as it seems like a good portion of the crowd are already familiar with them. They play synth fuelled goth rock reminiscent of Clan Of Xymox. It's competent enough. The beats are decent and the vocals are suitably deep and dark but it's nothing I haven't heard before. It hardly matters what I think though because they are treated like conquering heroes nonetheless. One track has sharper, more incisive guitar work which reminds me of Billy Idol (or more specifically, Steve Stevens). At their heaviest, they sound like The Sisters Of Mercy, as most goth acts tend to do in one way or another.
The sound is far too quiet as Zetra take to the stage, which robs opener 'Suffer Eternally' of it's potency. The vocals and guitars, in particular, aren't loud enough. Tracks like 'Sacrifice' still show their class but could definitely be more impactful. As with Moth Slut, the crowd still go crazy regardless. The sound is better and louder for a fun 'Starfall' although the crowd are still in danger of drowning them out with their singing. They play their debut album sequentially and in full, and it is probably around 'Shatter The Mountain' where the hypnotic heaviness and gorgeous vocals start to shine. Unfortunately, 'Holy Malice (Annabel)' reverts to to type with the electronic beats overwhelming everything else. The harder edged 'Inseparable', coupled with slightly deeper vocals, fares much better. The anthemic 'Gaia' has the first few rows bouncing around and everyone else at least nodding their heads. The atmospheric and heavy 'Moonfall' is a good way to close the regular set. They return after a sparkly costume change for an encore. 'Satellite' has a much fuller sound and is a great example of their gothic shoegaze. 'Life Melts Away Pt. 2's Sabbathian mid-section is great whilst 'Call Of The Void' has an insistent chorus. The heavier non-album tracks performed during the encore probably have more of an impact than the album tracks which are lighter. Zetra are a band I like a lot and whilst it's great to see them playing sold out shows and getting a great reception, tonight definitely wasn't their finest hour.
Zetra ***
Moth Slut ***
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