This was probably going to be my last chance to see the mighty Robots, so I had to go really. London traffic and the elevated temperature got me in the right frame of mind – pent up and aggressive.
Dopefight continued my emotional arc with their gnarly downtuned stoner sludgecore. I’m sure they’ll come up with more and more killer riffs at this rate, which is what it’s all about really, because it’s not an overly deep genre. I really enjoyed it, although I did need to nip out after a few songs to get a beverage to combat the oppressive heat.
I was expecting boring crusty punk from Hello Bastards, and while they have an aesthetic that may suggest that on their shirts and records, they certainly surprised me with some ripping near-grind in places and playful powerviolence. Wicked drumming, and even wickeder gurning, but could it do with a bass in there and less singers?
BOW359 are a total (Borg-like?) machine nowadays, with lots of people onstage to observe which is fun. Some tuning issues aside, it was dense and heavy and the mental fast bits were offset with lovely, crushing slow bits. Sure it’s a formula that they keep repeating, but it works bloody well. Another kickass drummer too.
And finally AOFR. It would be a sad moment but they’re totally angry and vicious and treat every gig like it’s their last anyway, so it’s not long before they’re blasting out track after track like they always have, one difference being that Henry has turned into a ball of hair with some eyes and a nose placed on it. The crowd go nuts, and Luke’s the most kickass drummer of the entire night!
AOFR play Supersonic Fest on 24th July, and have a farewell gig in Nottingham on August 7th. Don’t miss out. And buy the CD I put out by them while you’re at it.