FUZZY AF ALL-DAYER AT THE ENGINE ROOMS
Sound Addict had an absolute blast at The Engine Room's first ever Fuzzy AF All-Dayer. We can't wait for the next one! But for now, here's our thoughts on the evening...
Bad Girlfriend
Punk three-piece, Bad Girlfriend, came all the way from Birmingham to play at The Engine Rooms’ Fuzzy AF All-Dayer. With their hard hitting, back breaking sound, it’s safe to say that they set the perfect mood for the rest of the gig.
As with every opening act, the audience started off a little shy. After frontman and guitarist, Connor Hemming, made sure all attendees scooched a bit closer to the stage, everyone seemed to loosen up a little. This came as no surprise, as these lads are notorious in their hometown for combining raucous tunes with crowd sing-a-longs and stage invasions. Had this London crowd been a wee bit more intoxicated, I’m pretty sure many more antics would have ensued.
But Bad Girlfriend’s music speaks for itself. Shouts, rather. Hemming is a ruthlessly energetic frontman; he gave it his absolute all from start to finish. Richie James, on shared vocals and bass, was just as impressive. His growling bass lines anchor Bad Girlfriend, and provide their songs with enough bounce to make them catchy as well as thrashing. When James took over lead vocal duties on their track named 'My Time', the rhythmic section remained just as intact.
With absolute scorchers in their set, such as ‘Idiots’ and a new song – so new, it hadn’t even “left the creative ballsack” – it’s clear that these boys have honed their sound. Shameless lyrics like, “I snort cocaine”, combined with constant ground shaking beats (courtesy of Billy Smallman-Kopf on drums) make this band ones to watch.
Listen to ‘Where the Birds Fly ’.
Photos courtesy of Bad Girlfriend's Facebook page.
Big Zilch (AKA Wollf Adlar)
What hits you about this band is their absolute powerhouse of a drummer. Grant Bailey is his name, and providing a near lethal dosage of brain-shaking drum beats is his game. You never quite know when you'll be knocked out from round the corner by another of Bailey's gargantuan drum rolls.
Suave frontman and guitarist, Samuel Price, provides us with the rasping vocals and heavy riffs that complete Big Zilch's sound. With commandeering lyrics delivered with confidence and agility, Price's is the perfect ingredient to add into the phonetic mix. His melodic, heavy riffs added a nuanced sense of urgency to their songs.
I know for a fact that I wasn't the only one that couldn't believe Big Zilch were creating these enormous sounds that filled up the whole room and threatened to burst the roof right off of its hinges. It's crazy to think that just two guys were making such huge, full, uninhibited music - I could literally feel the ground thumping beneath me.
Big Zilch's powerful, bombastic tunes culminate from an ear-pleasing concoction of a) superhuman drumming, b) riffs worthy of summoning a demon, and c) primal passion: all enough to prove that they're destined for much bigger stages.
Listen to 'Ceramics'.
Photos courtesy of Albab Px.
The Cosmics
This garage punk band from Birmingham have been taking the underground scene by storm. Already with an impressive support slot for Starcrawler under their belt, it's only a matter of time before The Cosmics bring their groove-infused thrash to the musical forefront.
With a vixen of a frontwoman in the form of the talented Erin Curran, the band automatically have a mesmerising anchor for their live set. The music is what really grips you in though. Curran's kinetic response to the souls of their songs resembled that of an aural possession. Her riot grrrl-esque vocal was performed with such poise that it almost felt as though she channelled the gritty, at times rough, vocality from another realm.
Twin brothers, Conor Boyle (guitars and vocals) and Danny Boyle (drums) were as effective at achieving the phrase of their music as Curran with her sharp bass tears. 'Trust Is Blind', the band's next single which is set for release in November, demonstrated the sheer talent of each member. The genesis of the track saw Curran gripping hold of the microphone and delivering its sultry vocals to the audience hypnotically, making each one of us feel like we mattered. Bittersweet lyrics echoing with a calm cadence briskly morphed into a hard-hitting frenzy of a track.
When Conor took over vocal duties, it proved that The Cosmics are a multi-faceted force to be reckoned with. His mop of hair covered his face as he shook back and forth with vigour, tearing life asunder with each shriek and string scrawl.
For Sound Addict, The Cosmics might just have stolen the show.
Listen to 'Inishfree' and 'Trust Is Blind' (when it comes out).
Photos courtesy of The Cosmics' Facebook page, Neil McCarthy and Psychedelic Eye.
Beach Riot
So far, each band has made one thing certain: Fuzzy AF are catering for the big sounds. Beach Riot take it even further, with their brand of scuzzy post-punk.
One of the best things about Beach Riot's sound is the interplay between lead vocalist/guitarist Rory O'Connor and guitarist/vocalist Cami Menditegy. When they converse vocally and sonically, the room is filled with electricity.
With reverb loud enough to send you into orbit, the band bring the brawls front and centre. The tense build-ups generated from guitar play offs and sporadic, hungry drums (courtesy of Jonny Ross) cascade into ethereal melodies; all the while Jimi Faulkner's tendon-tearing bass grooves carry them.
Nirvana definitely fester somewhere beneath Beach Riot's surface. But make no mistakes - this is a band who have built on their influences and have paved their own musical path. With haunting harmonies, tight compositions and songs fit to fill much bigger stages, Beach Riot are definite ones to watch.
Listen to 'Serial Scruff'.
Photos courtesy of Neil McCarthy and Beach Riot's Facebook page.
Black Doldrums
Next up is London-based psych-rock duo, Black Doldrums. Macabre black roses adorn Sophia Lacroix's drum kit, setting the perfect scene for what's to come - gothic, stoner drone rock and roll.
Frontman and guitarist, Kevin Gibbard, creates ephemeral shoegaze as he stands atop the stage, like a dark shaman in the night. His distorted, madhatter vocals are the perfect ingredient to add to Lacroix's ferocious drumming; the end result being captivating dark-psych.
Their album Exit City Lights, was produced by James Aparicio (Spiritualized, Nick Cave), and the vibes they create live mirror the ambience of the album. Witchy, ominous atmospheres doused with reverb-soaked guitar sounds and echoing phrases immerse all listeners: their vibrations are different to any other of the acts so far.
Black Doldrums are the sober man's answer to shrooms.
Listen to 'Dreamcatcher'.
Photos courtesy of Neil Anderson (Wild Blanket Photography) and Neil McCarty.
God Damn
Last but definitely not least, God Damn take to the stage. This trio from Wolverhampton are notorious for being one of the live staples in the UK due to their savagely chaotic sets.
Frontman, Thom Edward lives up to his reputation of bringing the music to the people tonight. His set-up is not located on the stage as one would presume; it's in the thick of it with us crowd-dwellers. Before they crash into their first song, Edward says to the audience: "Come closer, I'm not gonna hurt you". Hurt us he doesn't (not intentionally, anyway). It's seldom that I resort to earplugs two songs in at a gig - but, God Damn, am I glad that I did. My ears were still ringing afterwards...
Keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist, James Brown is really something to see. As well as firing on all three of his cylinders, he flounced from keyboard to amp and back again, as if he was performing a ritual dance. With maniacal vocals and gorilla drum fills from Ash Weaver, the sound God Damn create pulsates beneath us all, threatening to shatter The Engine Rooms into a thousand Fuzzy AF pieces.
One standout lyric from their set came from a new song from their latest album, Everything Ever: "I don't know why I listen with my eyes". Although closing your own peepers to God Damn's scorcher of a headline set leads to running the risk of losing a limb, it enabled me to really hear the enormity of their sound rather than simply observe it. One thing's certain about God Damn - they're at the top of their game.
Fuzzy AF, you done good.
Listen to God Damn's latest album here.
Photos courtesy of God Damn's Facebook page and Duncan Sandeline Stafford.
Words by Alicia Carpenter.