36 Crazyfists, Nottingham Rock City
After a hoo-haa mix up regarding guestlisting, I got to the rock city pretty early. Filled with a more eyeliner wearing crowd than most shows I go to, I wasn’t quite sure what the participation was going to be like tonight. None the less I made my way to a decent vantage point and saw the first band FROM FIRST TO LAST pick up their instruments under the lights and let rip. They were pretty venomous tonight, with lots of moves and melodies and some drumming that was simply spectacular, and the crowd returned some of the energy thrown at them. It was a good set, but you got the feeling FFTL weren’t throwing out 110% tonight. Which is a shame, because I doubt it’ll be long before they’re back and humiliating some of their peer bands.(7)
After a quick break, TWELVE TRIBES played. I’d never heard Twelve Tribes before, or even heard of them. So I wasn’t really prepared for the complicated mathematical onslaught that was about to rip me a new one. With some notes so low they must have read “Z flat” on the chromatic tuner, It was a mix of pure fuzzy blur and 7/8, 5/8 etc etc madness that to start off with just made it very difficult for people to dance to, and by the end of their set, left me reaching for a calculator, scratching my head and wondering if my body would ever recover from the onslaught. For dreadlock fronted PTW style mathematical metal though, they were a bit more enticing than most other bands in that vein. For me however, highlight of the set was a bass effect setting that was so low and penetrative, it made the hairs on my neck stand to attention. Used only for about 4 bars however. They were still pretenders to the throne for the evening though, because when their seemingly endless set did actually come to an end, there was a loooong wait for 36 Crazyfists.(5)
I’ve been a big fan of 36 CF. That’s no mystery. How I had missed seeing them for so long however, still is. They opened up with “The end of august” and the energy was set to 11 from the word go. Headbanging guitarists, spinning guitarists, stack climbing vocals, a collaboration with the FFTL vocalist, a stick spinning drummer, their set had it all. From crowd participation when whole versus where barked out by ticket buyers, to the vocals man sharing his water in a pleasant gesture, you could tell these guys were out to play tonight, and when they play they entertain. I don’t know if I’ll see a set filled with so much going on again, but I know that if I do, I’ll be a lucky guy.(9)
Lurch
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