crowbar2014uktourposterOof this is one heavyweight bill that’s been winding its way from Manchester to Glasgow taking in ten unsuspecting UK towns. Half way through and it’s London’s turn which is perfect for the opening band Dripback as it sees the mockney bruisers playing to a home crowd. They are not quite at full complement though as Adam da Rat is apparently on other duties down under so instead Pete Benjamin of Voices is handling bass tonight. Musically this does not hamper them at all and as the first powerful and totally abrasive number blasts out the speakers we are practically flattened at the front. It takes a little while to get acclimatised to the hefty wallop from it all and to be fair the band have not been particularly kind to any PA I have heard them spew out of in the past. With a shout out of “come on you cunts” we proceed to get ‘Wasted’ in style and the music crushes like a steam roller as Wez 4 runs around the stage hollering at us. It’s pretty in your face stuff but new album ‘Failed Futures’ has done the band no end of good turning them from a mere racket to a racket with actual songs. There’s much more definition about these vicious onslaughts although the pit is just for the brave with more sensitive punters clinging to the bar at the back for dear life trying to distance themselves from this utter British cuntery. ‘Shallow Lives’ makes a particularly good impression as they continue to beat the venue down into submission and even when they slow down the force is just as crippling. Time to keep mouths shut and heads down for ‘Profit Driven War’, it’s a remorseless half hour and gets some in the pit acting as though they have just walked into a Ruktion show. By the time they finish with ‘Stranglehold’ they have certainly made their mark, luckily all four walls are just about still standing so we can catch the rest of the bands.

I lose track with Hang The Bastard and what’s going on with them and band members. They occasionally pop up and play and sometimes releases find their way through to us. I think it was at Damnation festival 2012 that I last saw them but this was a completely different affair without a shred of the ‘core’ sound I remember them playing. Instead we had a different singer Michael Carver and a much looser stonerfried sort of sound going down. This naturally made them the perfect choice of support for the headliners and they effortlessly jammed away with swamp heavy licks which sounded as though they had snaked straight out the bayou. It was still very heavy and there was even a touch of the blues about it all which had people both swaying along and head banging. Vocals were shriller than expected almost yapping but they fitted in quite naturally. I realised that the atmosphere was dry (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it) and that a beer was very much needed to help the music go down better. The bar area was still utterly rammed but mission eventually successful it was back towards the front feeling like I had just got the final pint at the last chance saloon. At least the band were up close and personal here, the main drum kit was not being used and the sticks man was playing tucked up stage left on a smaller kit. It seemed that this half hour shot by and the songs were long and perhaps they only actually got through a few in the time they had.

You were gonna need a Crowbar to get people in and out of the venue. Last time the NOLA sludge lords had packed the Underworld, now the Garage was absolutely heaving and the new album has not even hit yet. What next, the Ballroom or Forum for them? There seemed to be one word being hollered out and that was ‘Conquering’ and as the band fired up their engines and obliged there were no complaints to this hoary anthem from 1996 classic album ‘Broken Glass’. Kirk Windstein is very much the central figure and looked like he was enjoying himself, not surprising really considering they were playing to such a packed house. The octopus like figure of Tommy Bucley drove the pace along pretty much hidden behind the kit and big and bearded Jeff Brunson on guitars and new bassist Jeff Golden on bass solidly stood ground either side of the stage. Songs came in a blur and the audience reacted depending on the pace of things .We were pretty much taken on a ride through the albums leaving nobody disappointed as they went from ‘High Rate Extinction’ to ‘Lasting Dose.’ Guitars squealed and numbers such as ‘Burn Your World’ exploded with beer flying and bodies battering away in the pit. A couple of early triers had attempted going over the barrier but security were firmly but politely having none of it, so stage invasions were well off the cards here.

Grabbing another much needed beer Kirk’s vocals filled every crevice of the venue and the bass formidably rumbled right through it. It was time to try and solidify and position, dig in and attempt not to lose my drink as last album title song ‘Sever The Wicked Hand’ was dished out with some sublime guitar riffs and roaring vocals. This slower one had so much crushing weight behind it and practically had us on knees. So as far as the new album was concerned from what I could gather from the vocalist’s rapid fire speech was that they are not ready to play anything from it yet, maybe at Bloodstock. This seemed to appease the masses who are no doubt already looking to catching the band on their summer festival outing as well as ‘Symmetry In Black’ when it lands later in the year. No worries about lack of material though and ‘Liquid Sky’ shone through and had people singing along before ‘New Dawn’ gave everyone a good solid battering. Having played for a god hour and thrown us through all the paces culminating in the Type O riff heavy Planet’s Collide’ many started trying to escape through the venues one door. Somehow we knew that they were not done with us yet and the band came back Kirk asking if we wanted more which of course we did.  ‘Cemetery Angels’ pretty much dug my grave before limping out feeling like I had been dragged through a hedge backwards. Good Tuesday night all round then!

(Review and photos © Pete Woods)