The Zico Chain were the first band on, sounding like a bizarre mix of The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Black Sabbath, and other heavy metal bands. A small crowd gathered round the front of the stage for the band consisting of three members to come on.
Its not often that I can honestly describe a set as mind-blowing, but its fair to say that the set is certainly filed under M for mind-blowing. The instant, loud guitar riffs blend perfectly with their frontmans gravely howls and screams, and the crowd get instantly into it.
Its a fairly heartwarming set this young fledgling band clearly get just as much from the crowd as they are giving them, and they deserve it. Next single Rohypnol (out in April) sounds mammoth and not unlike a slap in the face, Brain growls away, and if The Lonely Ones ever had a melody, its surely been beaten out of the song with some of the most energetic and immediate bands I can claim to have seen for a long time.
If the Zico Chain can put together a full album as good as the EP (virtually aired in full tonight), then they have a bright, bright future. Catch them now when you can see the whites of their eyes.
The Longcut follow, and to be perfectly honest, disappoint. Its easy to compare them to Bloc Party, Joy Division and Gang of Four, so I will but unlike the previously mentioned bands, The Longcut never have that killer riff to hook the song into the brain forever more, they never have that spark that makes a good song great, and the fact that the vocalist jumps from keyboard and microphone to drums in nearly every song is a gimmick rather than something that adds to the music.
To be fair, it is a tight set, a pleasant set, but us kids are here for a good darn RAWK show, and The Longcut cant deliver. Only Late Night Bus and Transition have anything that suggests that this band have a glittering future.
The crowd that gathered in front of the stage for Nine Black Alps was sizeable, and when they hit the stage amongst a smog of feedback and guitar sounds, before launching into album opener and live favourite Get Your Guns.
The band were clearly in confident form, disposing of three singles (Not Everyone, Cosmopolitan, Just Friends), one new song, and the aforementioned Get Your Guns within the first six songs, which should be all means have left the middle of the gig bare of interest.
The truth, however, was very different. Unsatisfied (dedicated to the front, the middle, the back, the people outside... and your dad) sounds huge tonight, Headlights, Southern Cross, Ilana song and Smoking Jacket sound behemothic, and the crowd never stop cheering on and dancing to their heroes.
An acoustic version of Intermission sounds beautiful, before the band launch into Everyone Is, and finishing up with their best song Ironside, letting it descend into a cloud of feedback and tearing through a huge version of Shot Down.
The new material does suggest that the band have a huge future, retaining the grunge and power of before, with an uncanny knack for hugely catchy riffs and unforgettable choruses. Im not sure if its possible to compare Alps with Cylinders, but the band are certainly firing on all Nine of their Black Alps tonight.
Its a cliché to say the night belonged to , but tonight it is possible, and it is a shared honour. In most respects, the night belonged to NBA, they proved that we need the band for the music scene right now, that they are people that can be worshipped, and solidified their reputation as an awesome live band. However, in some ways, the night belonged to the Zico Chain, as it proves that this band has a future that may be glittering, and that one day they might headline a gig such as this one.
article by: Matthew Shaw
published: 18/02/2006 17:01
FUTURE GIGS
sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.