July 12, 2006
Kyral
t is week two of the J7 BOTB and as in most years, it is now that we really start getting that familiar buzz, as we see names we know on the bill. This week’s heat caught my attention from the moment it was announced, as I have heard good things about all 4 bands and have seen some of them before so knew beforehand that this was gonna be a quality night, will it live up to my expectations? It is J7 BOTB, of course it will!!!! First up are Kyral, a band who hail from Alfreton and have been around in theory for many long years and lived through several line up changes and long breaks but even though all this is true, this is Saggy Pants first look at the band. They start of with power and indeed power is a good word to sum them up, with heavy bass lines, subtle screeching guitars that interlock very well, mixing up who takes lead and rhythm duties with booming drums, and all of this before the strong and dominant vocalist sings a note! The guitar and bass provide some really banging riffs and all show good levels of musicianship and with his strong wail the vocalist adds masses of power to their sound. The general feel of the songs is grunge but with a alt-commercial rock edge that mixed the styles of bands such as Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Ugly Kid Joe. The drummer used his kit well with some powerful beats that also had room for crashing fills and some great double kick work but the whole time the music took a back seat as the vocalist’s huge voice took control of the room. His voice was broody (as was the music at times) and had so much power, reminding us of people like Meatloaf or Bryan Adams and it was this that gave their catchy rock an edge. So it is all sounding pretty good but as the set progressed Kyral’s weakness became apparent. They didn’t move. The frontman and bassist tried to give you something to look at by rocking out at times a little, but the other members looked pretty uninterested and as their songs continued they started getting a little predictable and lacked variety at times. The odd slow ballad didn’t really help as it hinged on the verge of cheesy cock rock and even though their sound had balls sadly they caught them on the final hurdle. Still a good first act and a solid performance which was very tight and showed plenty of potential.
http://www.myspace.com/kyralmusic
Zenith
Next up is Zenith, a metal band they tell us from the moment they hit the stage and start working the crowd up. They seem to have a fan base and a mosh pit erupts after about 7 seconds! The drumming is strong and the guitar riffs heavy and funky with some simple but strong powerful bass giving them a real groove from the start of their set. Some cool changes in tempo and rhythm gave them a good dynamic and when the vocalist kicked in with his mix of grunts, growls, screams and almost hip hop vocals at times mixing with softer slurs, they reminded me of Disturbed. The songs were well written and build up well in both power, emotion and dynamic and with a catchy edge their audience started going insane! Yet, even though they had diversity and dynamic at times it still didn’t quite have that extra original and unique kick I wanted. They mixed several styles though and as the set continued they grew in confidence and really started enjoying themselves and working the crowd into more and more of a frenzy. Finishing their set on a mighty high and certain members of the crowd begging for more. The only thing that annoyed me about their set was (and I am gonna sound like an old man now) but their army of moshers seemed to have no mosh manners and at times I was close to knocking a few out, but then again if they go through maybe we will get a chance! The band itself is well worth a listen though
http://www.myspace.com/livezenith
Fat Lady Singh
Third up are Fat Lady Singh or as many of us know them, Bud! This band have been around on the scene in many different forms for several years and are a pleasure to watch for any fans of the punk/ska genre, sadly fans of ska seem to be in decay these days. As their bouncing bass lines, catchy vocals, funky drums and unpredictable guitar melodies start kicking in fans of ska are in for a party! They mix several styles with moments of punk and reggae thrown into the mix and with their changes in tempo and dynamic they have a sound that is very original and their own. Tonight was not the tightest I have seen this band play, but they did get tighter as the set progressed and their fun stage antics including the dancing monkey and stupid stories from one of the trumpeters got the crowd in a happy, relaxed mood. This is not your old school, traditional ska though and with the fast, hip hop influenced vocal patterns and crazy changes it is more a mix of Mr Bungle without the metal or Aquabats with more funky and British ska edge. It got a little hectic and messy at times, but as a ska fan myself, I can safely say that Fat Lady Singh are a original, interesting and fun ska band and with their unpredictable and upbeat songs I really enjoyed their set. Progressive pop-punk-ska-hip-hop which has a insane and weird edge.
http://www.myspace.com/fatladysingh
Intruso
Finally we have Intruso, who shuffle on to the stage dressed in black and sipping red wine, classy. The two guitars were loud and dirty, but with moments of brilliant dynamic they have a dark and jittery edge. The brooding bass lines and simple, straight yet powerful drum beats add to their almost gothic dark side. This however is still indie rock n roll which mixed elements of The Smiths, The Cure, Placebo and Joy Division. Their sound began a little slow and seemed boring and slightly hollow at times, however as the set progressed the later songs became more progressive with influences such as The Mars Volta coming across at times. With their dark edge it was bound to feel a little depressing especially since the previous act had been upbeat, crazy ska, but some colour and light pushed through in the final few tunes to show that this band have some real diversity but are still fairly specialist. They slowly gripped my attention and even though they didn’t move around much, they had a cool post-punk, gothic indie image that worked and as the dynamic and atmosphere built through their tight set, they became more and more appealing, making this heat a hard one to call! in case you wanna know…this weeks winners were the impressive…Zenith
http://www.myspace.com/intruso
Reviewed by: Gaz
