The Face Bar, Reading

Friday January 21

ONCE again, I was on the trail of a Basingstoke band ‘playing away’ and the evening started off with Oxford based Crysis, a new young metal band definitely at the heavier end of the spectrum.

In spite of playing very well they had precious few fans in to see them, most of the crowd present keeping a wary distance, so it fell to the lads in Basingstoke's Fires on Broadway (and their fans) to move up the front and give the band some support. As a reward, they even got to name the newest song that had been written, but was as yet untitled. So it was actually an interesting start to the evening.

Fires on Broadway were up next and as they had brought along a large posse, they had no need of charitable support. The guys play a rather interesting brand of pop punk, with plenty of speed, catchy hooks and sing along lyrics, but they get the gold medal from me for their metal-style beat-downs and other heavier riff playing.

The cherry on the top of the whole performance has to be the humorous banter between band-members and the fans. It really gives the band the ‘one of us’ status, which is a major factor in clocking up success. They have two more dates in this mini tour (Winchester and Andover), so two more killer shows I believe!

They were followed by Ghosts in the Static an interesting industrial rock band from Reading. They do not have a 'live' drummer, having all their drum tracks pre-recorded or using a synthesizer. They also had a large contingent of fans in gathered a lot of attention with their heavy Goth style face paint. I am a bit of a purest in preferring a real human drummer, but I can't deny that they put on a good show and were completely different from the two earlier bands.

It was all change again with Jet from the Sun - who were much more straight up 80s style hard rock. A very talented three-piece, at times fast, loud and heavy, at other times much more gentle and sophisticated. They even seemed to have yet another venue full of fans different from earlier bands They also managed to get some movement from the crowd, although not quite as crazy as the metalheads who had dominated earlier on.

The head-line band Zangryus from Reading were probably one of the most technically accomplished metal bands I have ever seen. The guitar playing was really really fast and really really intricate, almost impossible to follow with the naked eye. They also have a female singer and so can provide a good bit of variety in vocal delivery. I suppose that they are melodic metal strictly speaking, which gives them broader appeal, perhaps into the mainstream a bit too.

So a highly successful night for promoter Neil (Wicked Boy Promotions) with a big thanks to management and staff of the Bang Bar.


The George, Andover

January, 23

THE George continues to put itself on the national touring map by hosting this show for a couple of up and coming bands doing the rounds.

Success was pretty much assured by including a couple of local acts, allowing show 16+ to attend and perhaps most of all making it free! The first band on were from Southampton and have only been together for about a year and they go by the name of City Calls. They play fairly energetic pop-punk, with members of the band highly animated on stage. This in turn triggers more response in the crowd and so a good atmosphere is generated. They were well received and the stage seemed set for a memorable night.

Next up were Fires on Broadway another pop-punk band with members coming from Andover and Basingstoke. They are however a little more than you average pop-punk band and the ace of their sleeve is to have their songs enhanced by some heavier styles of playing and musical techniques more typically found in heavy metal.

This interesting combination seems to bring out the best in both styles and I suspect that the majority of the crowd present, had come to see them in action. All nearly came to grief when the lead guitarist broke his guitar in the second song, but like real professionals, they just improvised and soldiered on, really saving the day.

Main support were provided by Through Colour who were from North Wales and the first of the touring bands. They had such a hard act to follow and for the first half of their set the venue was half empty, as people had popped outside to cool down. But all credit to them, they did hang on, sang their hearts out and drew back more of the crowd, so that they were able to end on a high. The order in which bands play can be so important sometimes.

The other touring band and headline act were Paige, a pop punk band who have been around a few years now and who are pretty much on the verge of making it to the big time. I have seen them before and so I was not surprised to see the venue become packed out and get incredibly hot. The band conducted themselves with comfortable ease, they are well used to large crowds and delivered a fantastic performance. They too also managed to get a bit of dancing and response from the crowd and no doubt they were able to sell a few CDs and T-shirts too.

So a big thanks to the bands, the management and staff at the George and of course the large well behaved crowd for an enjoyable evening.


Winchester Railway Inn

January 25

IT was a somewhat chilly evening that saw crowds descending on the Railway Inn for the second heat in the Bloodstock Battle of the Bands competition, with four red hot metal bands, including a representative from Basingstoke.

First up were Nektura from Reading, although I believe at least one member lives in Basingstoke. They were a very tight, progressive metal band, who struck me as being fairly new. Put it this way, they did not move around a great deal and that is usually a sign. But they did acquit themselves well and got the evening off to a good start.

They were followed by Oceanus from Alton, another progressive metal band, but clearly a bit more experienced, which came across very clearly. They were also fortunate to have a good few fans with them to man the front line and cheer them on. The strange thing is, although they were probably technically better than the first band, their performance seemed a little cold and clinical. I prefer something with a more human feel, including the odd mistake. Mind you, the smoke machine seemed to be working overtime and I was certainly feeling that the quality of the evening was starting to dip under the blanket of smog.

Main support was provided by Basingstoke's favourite old school metal band, Karrion complete with new second guitarist Neil. They set up their vast array of stage props as a huge Basingstoke crowd gathered in front of them, full on friendly banter. The band played a clutch of their old and best loved songs, but to be quite honest, I'm not sure that it matter what they played - the crowd were their to enjoy a good bit of fast loud music and frenzied head-banging. A riot nearly ensued when the guys were asked to cut their set short because time was running out. The fans might have felt short-changed but I think we'd all heard enough to know who to vote for!

Headliners were Terakai, a metal-core band from Reading, who I have seen a fair few times and I have to say, are a really amazing talented bunch. Their crowd of supporters seemed to match those of Karrion in terms of both numbers and enthusiasm. They played just as well, a fast, blistering set, with plenty of beat-downs and even a bit of moshing from the crowd. There was no denying their talent and clearly this heat had become a two horse race.

Everybody held their breath as the votes were counted - amazingly both Karrion and Terakai got the same number of first place votes. So it fell to second places and Karrion got lucky by just four votes and so go through to the semi-finals.

A very exciting show, which an excellent line-up and a huge appreciative crowd.


Poison

January 31

IT has often been said that punk is dead, but on a bitterly cold Monday night, DIY-punk was very much alive and well in Poison in Basingstoke!

Megagames from Southampton opened up the proceedings, with an unusual folk-punk/semi-acoustic type style. They were however more than able to punch above their weight and although the crowd was a little light early on, it was a great start and this is certainly a band I would be interested in seeing again.

They were followed by Corrigan from Brighton, who were an incredibly fast, energetic melodic hard-core band. Indeed, so gunned up were they, that one song was running almost immediately into the next - I was exhausted just watching, so goodness knows what it was doing to the band. Their prowess is easily explained, as some of the members have been in a number of other prestigious local bands before. I was so impressed, that as soon as they had finished on went on the hunt for one of their CDs and was delighted that I managed to get one.

Midway through the night it was time for Basingstoke's Bastad Rats to take to the stage and so it was no surprise that the crowd had grown a fair bit by now. The bar had been set quite high by Corrigan, but the Rats easily matched the energy levels and the decibels. They were also aided by a number of locals singing along and leaping about on the dance floor. All the classic songs were played, plus a couple of newer ones just to keep us on our toes. There was also an amusing bit of banter back and fourth between band and fans.

Main support was provided by the aptly named We Grow Beards. I have seen them a fair few times and reviewed their CD, so I am very familiar with their material. It sounded like most of the crowd were too, because a real party atmosphere had developed. We were treated to another fast, exciting set, which was the perfect antidote to any Monday-blues we might have been suffering. It was also a great way to keep the frosty chill at bay. This was proving to be a perfect line-up.

As the head-line band set up their equipment, an acoustic artist, Oliver John Ward came into the crowd and sang and played his guitar. It was a brilliant idea, there is nothing worse than impatiently waiting for a band to set up, so the impromptu sixth act was inspired.

The head-liners were Sweet Empire from Amsterdam and they kicked off their set to a fully primed crowd. As with most European hard-core bands, they are complete professionals, they sound great, they move around a lot on stage and they have an immediate bond with the crowd. It was impossible not to like them and to head home afterwards having thoroughly enjoyed the evening.