July 14, 2005
It’s not the busiest night as we get to Junktion 7 but as first band Dirty Protest start their set, the room starts slowly filling up. This 3 piece punk act, from London via Wales, use simple riffs with strong bass lines and powerful drums to push their loud chanty lyrics in your face like a pair of smelly pants, and like a pair of smelly pants you can’t help but take notice of them.
The vocals started slightly weak but as their set progressed they improved and really suited this style of dirty, gritty punk, which still kept a catchy and fun edge with good use of harmonies and hook lines. The guitarist also used some nice lead work and had a great dirty, deep distortion that pushed the songs forward well.
Dirty Protest sound, at times, very like the style of punk that has been coming from the USA in the last 10 years (Jimmy Eat World, MXPX or even NOFX) but they still had a bit of a harder edge with the traditional British punk feel simmering in the background. The thumping bass lines mixed well with screeching guitars, chanting vocals and a drummer who used a simple kit set-up to its full potential crashing in and out and still staying tight.
The songs were well written and Dirty protest’s songs had a really upbeat feel and I felt that after a few listens some of these songs could be real anthems. Simple punk played well with great technique. A good start to the night.
Next up came Ape of Death, these guys have only been together for 3 months but it was an energetic performance, using 3 guitars, they had no use for a bassist, as all 3 guitarist spewed out powerful, dark and complex riffs that were held together well by a tight drummer. The main focus though was on the lead singer who charged around the room like a werewolf with a thorn in his arse, mixing screams, grunts and growls to a full and enchanting effect. This was a head-bangers paradise! The songs were well thought out and changed tempo at will. It was not only a show of great guitar and drum work but also perfect hardcore metal action as the lead vocalist threw himself around and the guitarist jammed out the head banging goodness. It was scream-alicious madness with ear-bursting rage and head cracking attitude. Rarrrrrrrrrrrrr! !
By the time tonight’s headliner, Dead Souls, come to the stage the room is pretty damn full and as they start their set, the crowd really start getting into it. This 3 piece grunge rock act mix a wide range of rock influence to produce a powerful, heavy, upbeat and catchy sound. The lead vocalist has a really great growl for this style and is supported well by his melodic and ruthless guitar riffs. The drums kept the sound tight but also showed good variety in tempo and dynamics. All three members showed great technique and had a really excellent stage presence with lots of energy. The bassist/second vocalist had a lot of movement and played good and tight bass lines that were played with conviction and passion. Dead Souls are a really professional band who put on a really good show and seemed to really enjoy themselves as well, which rubbed off on the audience. Their songs are catchy, energetic and powerful but still heavy, also using good dynamics to build up some really extreme emotion and feeling. All in all a great show and with all bands putting their heart really into it, we all left with smiles on our faces.
