Review by Gary Spiller for MPM
Having lain dormant for over half a year the former Propyard venue on Bristol’s Feeder Road reopened in the second half of last year as The Prospect Building under the management of London’s electronic music promotions AMAAD, the team behind festivals such as Junction 2 and Love Supreme. The former MOD torpedo testing site has been revamped whilst retaining certain aspects of its former secretive past.
This evening we’re in the Crane Room, the smaller of the venue’s two indoor stages. High above a 20T Morris crane on rails supports the stage lighting and PA whilst a smaller 5T sister crane takes the weight of the house / stage front lighting. Like the much-missed Marble Factory, just around the corner, it’s industrial past is undeniable and proves the perfect setting for this evening’s gig.
It’s perhaps not particularly surprising that the pre-show playlist of predominantly ABBA is being lapped up in most quarters of the Crane Room before the first band of the night tread the boards. At face value it’s a quirky relationship that the Swedish pop icons have with the rock fraternity but one that is undeniable; after all their blend of pop, rock, glam and disco has a bit of something for everyone. It’s influenced the likes of Queen in the 70s right through to Battle Beast in the present day.
Anyhow I digress as stage techs hustle through their last-minute checks the atmosphere setting clouds of dry ice heave and swell.
The clock counts downwards and to a heavy electronic beat the three members that comprise Julien-K assemble with industrious intent. With an aesthetic that blends Combichrist and Gary Numan with spicy elements of Goldfrapp and Sisters of Mercy opening number ‘Futura’ takes a firm hold of this corner of Bristol. It’s most warmly received, by the time the dark spectre of vocalist Ryan Shuck declares “there’s no-one left to save your soul” the ensemble are right onside.
The heavyweight density of ‘All That Glitters’, the first foray into the very recently released ‘DRK|MODE’, veers most delightfully into the Venn diagram territory where the circles representing Neue Deutsche Härte and Techno overlap. It’s dance-metal is glorious in shady hues with a rousing etherealness emanating a crepuscular coruscant. Shuck takes a breath and with a “Fuck yeah Bristol” expresses an early gratitude.
Guitarist Amir Derakh, switching to the somewhat spartan electronic equipment, emits a pulsing serenity whist Shuck prowls and whirls in the gothic-based tempest of ‘Fractured’. The hooks of the contagion are hammered in with an invisible yet mighty kinetic that gets the Crane Building jumping. “We’re the luckiest guys to be out on tour with Lord of the Lost.” announces Schuck continuing “We only live 48 hours down the road!”
The hard-pumping elec-metal of ‘Night Mover’ sees the dark-side calling our name; the die is cast there is space out there in the wilds of the nocturnal. From a triple from ‘DRK|MODE’ we taken down the avenue of 2020’s ‘Harmonic Disaster’ with the hollering riffs of ‘Stronger Without You’ and the ultra-quakings of ‘Shut Down Your Soul’.
That punchy one-two is followed up by what can only be the most seismic of seismic events. Always ripe for being heavied up New Order’s blistering ‘Blue Monday’ – the best-selling 12 single in the UK of all time – is the recipient of a mercurial oiling. Originally re-worked in Shuck and Derakh’s previous project Orgy the track is hauled into the 21st century and into a heavy metal gladiatorial arena. It’s raw and dark bristling with shadowy energies with Galen Waling’s precision machine-gun drumming sealing the deal. Hands are raised skywards, hand ‘sculpted’ hearts aloft with multiple ‘thank yous’ mouthed as the band express their appreciativeness to the Bristol crowd at the end of a mesmerising 35 minutes.
It’s been a good few years since we first crossed paths with Skarlett Riot at the much-missed Giants of Rock festival in Minehead. We had just witnessed them tear up the Introducing Stage and in the process win a return to the following year’s billing. Emerging from a, dare I say it, poppier more melodic metal environ this was a band who, even back then, had a course plotted for heavier more mature realms.
Forward wind the best part of a decade and it’s pretty evident that they have succeeded in becoming what they had the enlightenment to foresee. On the basis of their showing in their allotted 40 or so minutes their ever-forward thinking has created a behomothic alt-metal presence.
All bar one of their nine tracks tonight are harvested from their last two studio releases – 2020’s ‘Invicta’ and last year’s ‘ ‘Caelestia’. Their metalliferous evolution has ensured that our paths have once again met and for this we’re most grateful.
Opening with the pummelling nu-metal of ‘Stronger’ Chloe ‘Skarlett’ Drinkwater’s crystalline vocals are pure dynamic amidst the raging tempest untethered by guitarist Danny Ogelsby, his brother Luke on drums and bassist Tim Chambers (ex-Sister Shotgun). “Bristol we ARE stronger together!” roars Skarlett propitiously mid-track.
Chambers lays into the harsh introductory vocals atop the slick stampede of ‘Chemicals’. Its thunderous despatch resonates as Danny beckons the crowd with a single hand “Let’s take the fucking rood off!” The anthemic despatch of ‘Paralyzed’ harks back to second album ‘Regenerate’ and serves as a poignant reminder to the earlier chapters.
Centre-stage is taken by a treble from ‘Caelestia’ commencing with the growling ground-shake of ‘Spiralling’. With a keyed intro ‘Limits’ sparkles like a weighty Within Temptation ahead of the gentle haunting ‘Luminate’ that detonates like a soaring tempest into hurricane forces that ebb and flow with dynamicity. Skarlett’s translucent lines juxtaposition with the harsh despatch of Danny and Tim flanking.
One metallic hat-trick follows another with the spotlight switching to ‘Invicta’ with the avalanche prowess that is ‘Breaking The Habit’ leaving crushed bones in its wake. The rapidly paced ‘Gravity’ follows seamlessly with its quaking setting the scene for the rollicking crypt-like seismicity of ‘Underwater’. A cogent curtain call as Bristol screams with ferocity in this thoroughly modern metaller. After so many years of not having seen them live it’s great to see Skarlett Riot realising and, indeed, exceeding their potential. They have the skill to become of the flag-bearers of British metal.
And so, to our evening’s headliners Lord of Lost. In an unusual request we’re instructed by the pr/management that no reviews are to be penned this evening. As strange as this might seem we comply with this and record a stunning set via the lens of Kelly. Want to know what I thought of LoL’s stellar set at this summer’s Bloodstock? Check out our review here.
Photography by Kelly Spiller for MPM
