Review by Tammy Lomax for MPM
Review by Tammy Lomax for MPM
Squeak! How thrilled was I ?!
My first live review of 2024 and talk about providing me with the wakeup call I desperately needed.
Functioning at a ridiculous tremendous speed, something that resembles a ferret on caffeine, I finish work, get sorted and get my jiggle right on.
Rolling out of Manchester Oxford Station and woah it was ice fresh! The city is all lit up and there’s vast amounts of energy in the atmosphere, the city life buzzes me every single time.
A short brisk walk later, whilst shoving a fruit bar in my face and POW! I see a battle jacket up ahead. A pack of metalheads, queuing and eagerly waiting to get into the Rebellion for CROWBAR!
Straight to the bar, a drink is urgently required. Whilst checking out the merch tables and yapping to some friends, I could feel the pure thrill in the air, I was perfectly absorbed in this vibe.
Manchester sludge band Barbarian Hermit opened the stage and that laborious groove hit the whole room instantly.
It was loud and grabbed everyone’s attention immediately. As the ambience started to build with excitement and the metallers kept coming in, I stood there simply dribbling at the sound of that bass guitar.
The tone just weaved through meeting the beats of the drums and the sludge riffs, it was so flipping sexy. I was a Barbarian Hermit virgin until now and they set an impeccable mood with their style. I loved them and hope to see them much more, everywhere.
Inhuman Nature was next and they utterly exploded the room with their supercharged thrash presence and the cobwebs were officially blown away.
Their energy on stage was a bonfire of excellence and complete brilliance. Chris Parker stepped in as drummer for some of the tour and he is a downright beast behind the kit, he’s got some decent weight and is exceedingly rapid.
The gig was in full momentum at this point as the cross over thrashers gave it their all. The moshers were good, ready and all loaded up. There is no doubt that their music Is fiercely stomping, cleverly dynamic and the twin lead-guitars were just pouring the riffs out, one after the other.
By this point, the whole venue was bouncing with anticipation, it’s time for Crowbar.
They annihilated everything in the room. The accurately shredding riffs were so tight and efficient. The mosh pit took up most of the room as the alphas on stage got the whole room pumped.
A few songs in and I managed to wiggle in the front view of the whole room with the sound desk at my left. I took a few moments and inhaled this moment, oh how I’ve missed this place, home.
The American Sludgers were playing tracks from their seventh studio album ‘Sonic Excess In Its Purest Form’ including the heart chugger track “The Lasting Dose” which was emotional, everything just fizzled away as we sucked in those guitars.
Moments later they ripped the stage apart again, they were fierce, confident and strong in their approach. Overall, their set was entirely revved up, brutal and the crowd did Kirk proud with their belting spirit.
Shout out to the sound guy and everyone involved, the bar staff were friendly too. Tapestry Promotions, you are popping these incredible shows out like hot potatoes and the Manchester scene is indubitably impressive lately, so thank you.
I had such a huge smile in my belly as I was making my way home, 2024 is already blowing off and I am honoured to be a part of our metal family.
Photography by MPM
