One of the most anticipated gigs of this year, given that all three bands have put out absolutely crushing releases in 2014 and have acquired legions of adoring fans within their respective careers. Despite the fact that this show is sold out, it’s never difficult to get a spot for each band, as a large percentage of the crowd are milling around the bar and merch, giving the impression that a lot of people are here as a means of image preservation instead of for the music.
Like them or not, Bast are a band that are seemingly inescapable at the moment, being put on every respectable line-up at every end of the country. The hybrid of doom and black metal that this London trio churn out has earned them a pretty loyal following and a respectable sized audience gathers to watch them, in spite of the early start time. Their ever changing shifts in tempo and the shared vocal pairing between guitarist and drummer makes them entertaining to watch and there’s never a lull in the music or a moment when a song feels as though it’s outstaying its welcome. Undoubtedly the most aggressive sounding band of the line-up, but oddly enough they fit right in.
Taking into account that this tour is their UK live debut, Pallbearer are undeniably the band that most people are looking forward to the most this evening. With this amount of pressure put upon them, and the fact that they’ve been playing for several nights on the trot, it’s understandable that they’re not at their best and put on a performance that doesn’t live up to expectations. There’s a distinct lack of heads nodding along to them and a few people that just look downright bored. The hour they play for doesn’t hold a candle to the emotional and heartfelt set they played at Hellfest 2013, despite the fact it was only 30 minutes long. The feelings that are so beautifully brought to life on recent release ‘Foundations of Burden’ are somehow lost in translation and the Arkansas four-piece sound tired and lack-lustre. Most heartbreaking of all is that people who have never seen them play before don’t know how good they can sound, and may think that this is just a bog-standard Pallbearer performance when that couldn’t be further from the truth.
A fair few punters bugger off, having only turned up for Pallbearer, leaving a still huge and utterly devoted crowd to let the waves of Yob’s riffs wash over them. Mike Scheidt’s vocals are absolutely pitch perfect, a mirror image of what can be heard on all of their records. What does sound different, however, are the bass and the guitar – without the shackles of a recording studio, the noise that the pairing of Scheidt and Rieseberg create is absolutely monstrous. Even with the aid of earplugs, they are still deafening and tracks such as ‘Nothing to Win’ are hellishly intense. The trio plays for a staggering 90 minutes, but the time seems to melt away, due to how captivating their stage presence is. The highlight of the evening is their performance of ‘Marrow’ – a much more mellow number than anything they’ve performed. It’s genuinely earnest and beautifully played, reducing a fair few people to tears. Yob are easily one of the best live bands around at the moment and what makes them so special is that they make staggering performances, such as tonight’s, look easy. This is undoubtedly one of the best gigs to happen this year and massive kudos should be granted to Old Empire for putting it all together. This is a gig that has shaken all who witnessed it to their core and will continue to be talked about a long time after tonight.
(Review: Angela Davey)
(Pics Spenny Bullen taken at Glasgow Show)
11/09/2014 at 11:23 am
The show at Glasgow was rammed from start to finish and had, of all things, a mosh pit and crowd surfers during the Yob set. Pallbearer also had a far longer set and despite technical issues played a blinder. I think I got the better show, especially with the local opener Buried Sleeper who had Mike Scheidt headbanging side stage for their whole set and singing their praises in his own set. Wish I’d taken more photos but I was too busy having a bloody good time.