Photos of the Underground

Grifter and Orange Goblin at The Underworld

noreply@blogger.com (Chris West) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:49:00 +0000

Here's some shots of Grifter and Orange Goblin from earlier this year.

Grifter's primary mission on planet Earth is to deplete the world's Guinness reserves. Lucky for us Arthur can brew it quicker than those boys can drink it.

When they're not quaffing, they're rocking...

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Grifter

Grifter

Grifter

Orange Goblin

Orange Goblin

Orange Goblin

General Sludge, Doom, Noise, Evilness @ The Grosvenor, 21st August 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Chris West) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:31:00 +0000

Excellent debut gigs from At a Crawl and Toad (In The Tree). Nice one to Jim from At a Crawl for organising the night as well.

Band of the night for me was Dopefight - superb sludge grooves with minimal but effective vocals. Go listen to them.

I don't really remember what Art of Burning Water were like cos I was too drunk but I stayed down the front so they must have been good. I do remember the drummer looked absolutely mental which was cool.

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Art of Burning Water:

Dopefight:

Dopefight:

Dopefight:

Toad (In The Tree):

Toad (In The Tree):

At a Crawl:

At a Crawl:

At a Crawl:

Invasion, Bo Ningen, Lasers From Atlantis @ The Cross Kings, 29th July 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Chris West) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:06:00 +0000

I hadn't been to the Cross Kings before and it turned out to be a really cool venue. It's underground which always helps with the atmosphere and it's the kinda place where the walls are covered in a mix of graffiti/paintings and so on which is much better than the stock blackwashed better known London venues.

It was an excellent night all round and I had a good chat with Invasion's Marek (guitar) and Zel(drums) early on who were kind enough to share a beer or two. Speaking of which I did manage to drink so much I managed to leave my front door open all night long. Thinking about calling myself a drunktographer.

This was the second time I'd seen Lasers From Atlantis and they were as good as the first. The word atmospheric springs to mind with these guys as they create some cool musical spaces with use of reverb, delay and various other effects. I'd say they make pieces of music rather than songs and I'd love to hear some good quality recordings of their stuff.

Bo Ningen were pure entertainment; tripped out psychedelic rock with amazing shirts, non stop riffing, phalic guitar pumping and one frankly mental falsetto.

Invasion delivered as usual. There were no cymbals on fire this time round but everything else was there. It's a very simple formula of metal/trash/stoner riffs on a single guitar, high energy drumming and very powerful vocals and it's one that works so well.

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Invasion

Invasion

Invasion

Invasion

Bo Ningen

Bo Ningen

Bo Ningen

Bo Ningen

Lasers From Atlantis

Lasers From Atlantis

Lasers From Atlantis

Metalbrew Party 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Chris West) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 10:44:00 +0000

You're in Mill Hill, it's a Saturday afternoon, it's an overcast day in a typically schizophrenic UK summer so what are you gonna do? You're gonna go to Metalbrew and party, that's what you're gonna do.

Normally this all takes place in a fenced off field next to Mill Hill rugby football club with the bar open for beers and a BBQ in the field. This year was cut back to an indoor party so the organisers can plan big for 2010 which meant the bands played on the floor in the bar and in your face. Just the way it should be.

Afaktor
As an opener they couldn't have been better, playing proper old school metal minus the modern wannabe poses and generally grinning a lot and having a great time. Ace of Spades was thrown in at some point and they finished their set gnashing at guitar strings like Hendrix and invading the crowd.

Chug
Similar in style to Afaktor but with a bit more grinning and drumstick shrapnel. Best band name of the day cos you know what you're gonna get with a name like Chug.

Sick To Death
Politically charged/motivated mix of traditional hardcore with a little bit o metal thrown in too. Crowd pleasing and chant inducing. Good stuff.

Drawbridge Man
My personal fave of the day. I had consumed the perfect quantity of beer, the sun had more or less set and these guys laid down some awesome and vocal-less sludge/doom grooves that ventured beyond 4/4 and did it well. I was rocking, bobbing and nodding like a madman.

Nebukadnezza
Fuck me I love this band. Dunno why cos it's not my normal choice of tunes but the combo of blast beats, ridiculous speed and spiky guitars (that white Jackson Randy Roads is one sexy little bitch) really pumps my nads.

Battlewitch
Doom or die baby, doom or die. Nuff said.

I have absolutely no doubt Metalbrew is the most fun you could ever have in Mill Hill.

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Battlewitch:

Battlewitch:

Nebukadnezza:

Nebukadnezza:

Drawbridge Man:

Drawbridge Man:

Sick To Death:

Sick To Death:

Chug:

Chug:

Afaktor:

Afaktor:

Another All Dayer @ The Unicorn 4th July 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Chris West) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:25:00 +0000

Yep, another day, another all dayer at the unicorn. Another interesting mix of extremes of speed and styles of goddam heavy music. Lovely.

This time I was far too drunk though and I missed a few of the bands and don't remember some of those I did see. Luckily I seemed to be able to work my camera and didn't leave it at the gig or in the garden when I got home.....had to try and clear my head and at the time being with nature sounded like a good idea. It wasn't.

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Lazarus Blackstar:

Lazarus Blackstar:

Nebukadnezza:

Pombagira:

Pombagira:

Dead Existence:

Dead Existence:

Hovadah:

Hovadah:

Mindzap all dayer @ The Gaff 3rd May 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Chris West) — Sun, 17 May 2009 08:44:00 +0000

Here's some pics from the Mindzap all dayer at the Gaff 3rd May 2009.

Standout bands were Roadsaw for just plain rocking out, White Lightning for old school AC/DC worship done well and Lasers From Atlantis for originality and somethin a little different.

Hats off to Jack for organising a fine day of music.

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Roadsaw

Roadsaw

Roadsaw

Obiat

Obiat

Grifter

Grifter

Grifter

Ten Ton Tabby

Ten Ton Tabby

Lasers From Atlantis

Lasers From Atlantis

White Lightning

White Lightning

Cujo

Cujo

Return of the Doomicorn, 11th April 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Chris West) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:51:00 +0000

On Saturday 11th April we played Return of the Doomicorn at The Unicorn, Camden with Grifter, Alunah, Stone Turner and VenXia. All in all it was a good night although soured somewhat by Soph's (Alunah) guitar getting nicked at the end of the night.

Line up:

VenXia
Trippy Wicked & the Cosmic Children of the Knight
Grifter
Alunah
Stone Turner

Stone Turner opened up and rocked out a cool set of half improvised/half pre arranged psych rock despite the fact that the 3 of them hadn't been in the same room for about 5 months. A very entertaining band to watch and listen to and it's really cool to see a band that care more about feeling the groove of the music than rehearsing a bunch of tracks to perfection.

Alunah blasted through their dirgey doom. It was the second time we'd shared the stage with these guys in 3 days but we missed 'em the first time so it was good to catch them here. A real bummer about Soph's guitar though. That's a lesson for all gigging bands - keep an eye on your gear at all times.

Fueled up with Guinness Grifter took command of the venue and rocked it thoroughly. Ollie is a brilliant frontman, full of energy, moves and a lot to say. I think it's the third time I've seen them now and they're always worth it and always play like it's their one and only chance. They play classic rock with all the energy and passion it needs.

We were next. We rocked in our usual bluesy/sludgey kinda way.

VenXia headlined and were pretty different from the rest of the bands in terms of musical style. It wasn't my cup of tea but they played really well and were a great band to watch live. I dunno who I'd liken them to but their style is down the metal road for sure. Go check em out if you wanna know what they sound like.

Here are the photos and as usual click to see these bad boys in high res.

Stone Turner

Stone Turner

Stone Turner

VenXia

VenXia

VenXia

Grifter

Grifter

Alunah

Alunah

The Rifle Volunteer Recording 09 Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Chris West) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:06:00 +0000

This is Part 2 of The Rifle Volunteer recording in Islington, London.

Here's a link to Part 1.

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Doom to the Tomb 2, 4th April 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Chris West) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:02:00 +0000

Saturday 4th April was the second Doom to the Tomb all dayer at The Grosvenor in Stockwell, South London. A number of bands played including those pictured here.

There's two of each and they're in this order if you wanna know which sweaty mug you're looking at:

Obiat
Pombagira
Dead Existence
Koresh
Flatlands

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The Rifle Volunteer Recording 09 Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Chris West) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 10:37:00 +0000

This is The Rifle Volunteer recording in Islington, London.

Here's a link to Part 2.

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Shels Rehearsal Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Chris West) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:40:00 +0000

This is part two of the Shels rehearsal session.

Here is Part One

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Shels Rehearsal Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Chris West) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:09:00 +0000

Cramped in Clapham

In a grotty basement rehearsal space beneath a bar in Clapham, South London, Shels play out their music. 6 guys squeeze into a tiny room and play to an audience of two, both of whom are large green scaffold poles that hold up the ceiling.

It's a brisk Sunday afternoon and after a fine English breakfast with Simon, one of the three Shels guitarists, we head to bar whose name I fail to notice and a phone call is made. A couple of minutes of waiting, a fire escape door opens from the inside and I'm introduced to Tom, the drummer. We make our way through a cold concrete corridor, past a pile of rubbish bags, down a narrow grey concrete stairway and through a room that would appear to store the coats forgotten the night before and also houses a large noisy machine of no obvious function. Past all this is the cramped rehearsal space and some adjoining rooms that contain several drum kit carcasses and old unused studio equipment. Over the next few hours the band plays through current songs and reworks some arrangements. Arif on trumpet has the hardest task today as the band try transposing their music to a different key. Everyone else just retunes. All of this is done with a relaxed but obvious dedication.

Shels are headed up by Mehdi who writes the music; a friendly Californian with plenty of passion for his work who splits his time between the USA and the UK. The rest of the band is based in the UK so rehearsals only occur when they are all in the country together. This makes them slightly unusual; they are not a band that writes and rehearses week in week out without fail so when they get together it is for a specific purpose.

When you listen to the music the location seems unlikely and unfitting but the band is oblivious. There are layered soundscapes, stripped back riffs, perpetual beats and emotive melodies. There is also a common rhythm to much of the music they play. The rise and fall in volume and various densities and intensities of sound they create contain the dynamics. It is these dynamics that form one of the primary appeals of this band and it is also one of their most identifiable characteristics.

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Arrakis @ The Fiddlers Elbow 05/09/2008

noreply@blogger.com (Chris West) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:39:00 +0000

Arrakis play straight up stoner rock/stoner doom and play it well. This is them at the Fiddlers Elbow, London. Check 'em out.

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Cruel Humanity @ Junktion 7, 12/07/2008

noreply@blogger.com (Chris West) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 16:47:00 +0000

Cruel Humanity: Black Metal done right. My band played with these guys up in Nottingham a while back and they stood out for me. Super fast, super heavy, lots of harmonies, some keys and loads of SCREAMING!

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Aluna @ The Unicorn, 18/10/2008

noreply@blogger.com (Chris West) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:38:00 +0000

Aluna describe their style as psych blues doom. They sure do have the big riffs and cool grooves. They are currently spreading their Sabbath smelling seed across the UK with gusto. These are from a gig at the Unicorn, Camden.

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Ahymsa @ The Fiddlers Elbow 05/09/2008

noreply@blogger.com (Chris West) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 21:55:00 +0000

This is my first post. It's some shots of Ahymsa at the Fiddlers Elbow at one of the Mantra nights they put on (05/09/2008).

Ahymsa play an energetic mix of styles that can be herded in the pen of rock. Psych....stoner....retro....I dunno exactly what to call it but they play it with passion, long hair and a sense of urgency and put on a good show. They list a broad range of influences on their MySpace page that clearly (for those I'm familiar with) come through in their music. The guitar playing front man and singer rocks out on his tip-toes, the bass player remains cool with an open shirt, the drummer sweats more with each furiously executed fill and the rhythm guitarist and keyboard player effortlessly switches between her instruments.

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