On Sunday the 30th of October, Puppy made their live debut on the Radio 1 Rock Show with Dan P Carter. Having never done radio, to jump straight into a live session was a brave move from the London three piece; they went right into the deep end of the swimming pool with no floaties.
The format of chit – 3 songs – chat is determined and Puppy sound ready to go. Laughs abound in the chit, with the band saying “we just try and do stuff that interests us, and then present that and see if people care.” Jock’s claim that they’ve released ‘two average EPs’ is wholly unfounded – their latest release Volume II is one of the most progressive crossover metal records I have ever encountered.
Puppy have recently finished their first full tour with Sorority Noise, and having caught a couple of those shows, their live set is only improving.Without missing a beat they launch from the chit into ‘The Great Beyond’ from 2015’s self-titled EP.
Listening to Puppy, you would never imagine such a sound can come from a three-piece. The dual vocals and insistent bass-lines that demand you nod your head are all the more heavier when played live, and Puppy’s sound benefits from it.
One of the joys of listening to a live set is that it isn’t perfect. It has character and depth that a studio recording doesn’t, you can hear it being mixed as they play, and that is a beautiful thing. Flowing from ‘The Great Beyond’ into ‘Arabella’ flawlessly, Will’s falsetto comes in to contrast Jock’s grittier vocal perfectly.
A momentary pause between songs two and three, ‘Arabella’ and ‘Entombed’ feels like an exhale, a single second to prepare themselves for the carnage that is ‘Entombed’, which is the definition of riff city. It is so heavy, so melodic, and so well put together that I don’t think there could be a version I wouldn’t enjoy listening to.
The mid-8 zil bell is one of the most wonderful things I’ve ever heard in a breakdown – drummer Billy is so clean and precise, it almost doesn’t matter that this is a live session – it is perfection. Dan P agrees, finishing the band’s first ever session with an air horn/explosion combo – eliciting ecstatic laughter from a band that is borderline obsessed with air horns.
Puppy also dropped a new video for ‘Arabella’ to celebrate Halloween. It’s 6 minutes and 28 seconds of Mystery Mansion goodness to cap your Halloween off with!
Listen to the session and check out the video below.