Just trying to get back into the swing of writing about gigs, after recently getting back into the swing of attending them.
The most recent (I may go back and retrospectively add the rest, with retconned posting dates and everything, if I manage to overcome my pretty constant indolence) was ostensibly headlined by Brummie grindcore legends Napalm Death, but to be honest I was really there for equally legendary New Orleans “don’t call us sludge” sludge icons Crowbar.
I missed NOLA bosses Eyehategod late last year, after it turned out they weren’t headlining the festival I was due to attend (being usurped by the guys who weren’t the main man in Venom). But I regretted it. So when Crowbar were announced, I was in. The fact they were playing with Napalm Death and Full of Hell was an awesome bonus.
I missed opening band Brat, but they seem fun. Excellent merch and attitude. Maybe next time.
I did not miss Full of Hell, who play some infernal mix of grindcore, noise and general weirdness. They were great (so much so that I bought a tshirt and record while waxing lyrical to the merch guy about the excellence of Brutal Truth – he was a fun dude to talk to). Hard to explain, but easy to recommend. Check out their latest, Coagulated Bliss, for a sense of what they are about. But be ready for an onslaught.
Crowbar were Crowbar. As timeless as Motorhead or AC/DC, regardless of who the line up is (as long as main man Kirk Windstein is present and correct). The current iteration lacks sometime/longtime bassist Todd Strange, but they were pretty tight, very heavy and knew how to lock down a crushing groove. This band is one of the masters of harnessing true musical gravity. Yes, they played ‘Planets Collide’. Yes, it was amazing.
Napalm Death were their consistently inconsistent selves. You know they are going to rock, that they are going to espouse left wing/pro-people views on stage (all good things so far), and that they are going to play music from all eras of their 40 years. So that can lead to some spottiness, but they are great, and a thorough recommendation if you’ve not seen them yet.
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