A strong crowd are down early to see the New Orleans “bimboviolence” quartet BRAT’s first show in the home of metal. It’s clear even before they hit the stage, that the band are here to have fun and not take themselves seriously, blaring speech samples from Gladiator over Darude’s ‘Sandstorm’ before a swift bludgeoning of cuts from debut album Social Grace and some pulls from early EP’s. The pits are explosive out of the gate as vocalist Liz Selfish parades around the stage with boundless energy and charisma, her caustic vocals the cherry on top of the performance (doubled when FOH vocalist Dylan Walker joins them onstage for ‘Hesitation Wound’ for manic combo). At regular points the band play bubblegum pop tracks (think Shania Twain, Britney Spears, Cascada etc.) as interludes between their vicious assaults, the crowd loving them as much as BRAT themselves having a laugh and enjoying the odd mix up. It’s a scorching thirty-minute opening set, the band put on a great show and set the mood for the ensuing chaos that is soon to follow as the night progresses.
Brighton’s newest and loudest export are first on stage tonight, and seeing as it’s only show two of the 8-day UK jaunt, they bring the energy to the forefront. Opener song ‘Blossom’ doesn’t have the crowd not moving as such, but there’s certainly heads turning and necks bobbing as vocalist Alice Guala’s vocals are probably not what most people here were expected to be greeted by. Her screams and growls contort around her clean vocals, prompting either smiles or scowls, or even both in a nod of approval by the crowded venue.
Few can deny they have fun in what they do when ‘Mitsuko’ see’s guitarist Blake Cornwall get to the centre of the crowd as Guala calls for, not a circle pit around Cornwall, but in fact, a conga pit. As the song finishes, you can see Guala beaming with happiness and Cornwall shouts ‘Fuck yeah. Cardiff!’ as he high-fives people on his way back to the stage, where the newest single, ‘Scatterbrain’ almost missed its mark to kick off, as a security guard thinking Cornwall must be a crowd member jumping on stage, continues to grab hold of him and pry him off the stage. Taking it in his stride, he shrugs it off and the band explode through the set with circle pits in tow, as if nothing happened. As the last song ‘Bloodbath’ ends, Guala & co. take a picture with the crowd as they take their leave to a cheering crowd.
It’s never an easy job to be the opener on these monster tour packages, with Aussie deathcore outfit Mélancolia having the unenviable task of opening a five band bill tonight. With an early stage time going on just ten minutes after doors, the venue is only sparsely populated as the unconventional four piece tear through cuts from their debut album HissThroughRottenTeeth. With two guitarists, a dedicated vocalist and drummer, they opt to use bass backing tracks, which at times were a touch overpowering but fortunately few and far between. Otherwise, Mélancolia were on killer form, their unique take on deathcore blending elements of melodic black metal, gothic industrial and touches of nu-metal is a real treat. Vocalist Alex Hill replicates their inhuman gurgles and roars, keeping the audience engaged with their oozing charisma and gothic style. Mélancolia have a great presence on the stage, shrugging off their discomfort and nerves at the thin crowd in attendance like seasoned pros, putting on a blistering set well worth the time of those making it down early.
For this latest run, Fat Dog chose to have a series of fresh-faced underground supports from the indie and punk world, with tonight’s opening act being CHILD. It’s hard to find a lot of information about this five-piece, as they still seem pretty new to the live world, having a handful of dates sprinkled across the last twelve months. The band’s sound weaves between angular post-punk/noise-punk energy of earlier IDLES or Gilla Band and some restrained alt-rock/alt-indie vibes for quieter passages, evoking the teetering emotional frailty of Radiohead or the more experimental side of Bright Eyes. There are strange rhythmic and tempo fluctuations that make for some fascinating songs through the band’s short thirty-minute set, not quite what you’d expect before the high-octane electro punk of tonight’s headliner, but still the band have an interesting sound.
Unfortunately, though, there were a few obstacles in the road. One guitarist is having amp troubles intermittently, clearly frustrating the poor lad and takes away from the flow somewhat. There is a bit of nervous energy about them that was melting away somewhat in the set’s final moments, but despite any setbacks, they have promise and will be worth checking out when they release their first songs.
It’s an early start for a Saturday night, the doors already having been open for over an hour by the time the support band take to the stage at 7:30pm. Despite being their second ever show this side of the pond, the venue is already packed as self-described dreamcore quartet Colorblind from Austin, Texas open with pop-rock single ‘Motionless’. Vocalist Travis Moseley’s high tone is instantly reminiscent of Sleeping With Sirens’ Kellin Quinn or Devin Oliver of I See Stars. Unfortunately, throughout the set, his mic is too low in the live mix for him to really stand out against the volume of the rest of the band. Their next few songs ‘Stay’, ‘Everything but Faith’ and ‘Needle Eye’ occupy the same pop, rock and R&B intersection that bands like Pallisades and Issues operate in, whilst adding their own hazy, dreamlike spin. Those who have done their homework are instantly recognisable in the otherwise subdued crowd. A loud couple in the centre single-handedly carry the calls for audience participation, while a few dedicated fans lining the barrier to the stage sing every word back to the band. Colorblind wait until their final song to venture into the more confident, heavier rock sound of ‘Way Out’, guitarist Justin Page chiming in with some well-placed screams that deliver the fuller sound that’s been missing from previous tracks. It’s a shame they’ve waited until the end of their set to plant their feet more firmly in the rock genre, as it garners the best response from the crowd who bang their heads in time with the thumping drums. However, they hint there’s more of this sound to come on their upcoming debut album, which is “a collection of all the things we’ve wanted to do and gives a 360° view on everything we’re capable of as a band”.
