Post by markwj on Apr 12, 2010 17:46:08 GMT
Eyehategod, Totimoshi, Dragged into Sunlight
Moho Live, Manchester
6/4/10
This was the first UK tour for the seminal and notorious New Orleans sludge metal band for some 7 years, though I think my review of an enjoyably harrowing evening in Glasgow seeing them then has been lost in the haze of time. Had seen them in the bright sunshine and open fields at Hellfest last year but this is one band entirely suited to dim and scuzzy underground venues and the opportunity of being chauffered up as a navigator to Mr Denbigh Dog wasn’t to be passed up.
My first visit to Moho and it certainly fitted the bill, a dark basement bar, maybe only holds a couple of hundred, just off Picadilly Gardens, and very soon after we get in (relatively) local opening act DIS are on. On in the sense of there are howling sounds emanating from the thick smoke machine fog pierced by just a candelabra at the front of the stage. Initially the guitar is weak in the mix but once that picks up their raw black metal, not relentless but varied in tempo and structure, is a fearsome onslaught. Especially with the harshest of vocal screams topping it off. They have already built a respected standing for their uncompromising and intense performance and that seems entirely justified by tonight’s show.
Somewhat of a contrast next with Totimoshi, EHG’s touring partners also over from the States, who inform us they’d been over recently with Mastodon too. Interesting, whether they are picked or get themselves the opportunity who knows? Anyway as a three piece they still deliver a pretty heavy sound, mainly due to bassist Meg’s ballsy Rickenbacker sound but the frontman’s guitar is much more jangly at times, with an almost bluesy twang. On the whole there is a garage rock feel to them of maybe a lighter version of the Melvins but between the heavy punishment delivered either side of them they aren’t very striking to me
There’s great anticipation as EHG take to the stage and they are very amiable with the crowd rammed up in front of them on the barrier, the stage is only a foot high or so. So they’re shaking hands and frontman Mike Williams is encouraging chants for weed, skag, crossword puzzles etc. To be fair he does look in better shape than the zombie junkie I saw previously, having gone to the extreme of having Hurricane Katrina assist him in kicking his habit. But saying better does not necessarily mean good, bathed as they are in (dope)sick green stage lights. Eventually after enough banter leaving me wondering if they were milking this to play less songs they eventually give us a while of feedback and then one massive chord strung out…THEN it kicks off and the wait is worthwhile. At times it seems they are just loosely stringing together random riff pieces, a jam on the edge of collapse into noise, short fast blasts of groove between more massive crushing riffs wrenched out on the guitar of NOLA scene mainstay Jimmy Bower. Not complicated, but with a palpable tension, and delivered with seething conviction. For the unfamiliar you could easily reference Sabbath but dragged down into filth, like Ozzy and the boys had screwed some Southern Belle groupie in a ditch somewhere on their US adventures in the ‘70’s. You can see the Ozzy mannerisms in Mike too, the hunched fragility, not I think in an imitation but more as they have both been on the same binges. His vocals are a snarl, while the music is delivered in this closed environment at some of the loudest volume I’ve heard for a while. A lot of their classics are played, gems such as “Sisterfucker”, “Dixie Whisky”, “Jackass”, not necessarily in the order they’re shouted for when asked for requests, and the fierce and cramped mosh sees folks surfing in the 3 foot gap between head height and the ceiling while the complete absence of airconditioning means condensation/sweat/other fluids are literally raining down. I love a party with a happy atmosphere. I think the satisfaction was universal among those there, a visceral experience.
Moho Live, Manchester
6/4/10
This was the first UK tour for the seminal and notorious New Orleans sludge metal band for some 7 years, though I think my review of an enjoyably harrowing evening in Glasgow seeing them then has been lost in the haze of time. Had seen them in the bright sunshine and open fields at Hellfest last year but this is one band entirely suited to dim and scuzzy underground venues and the opportunity of being chauffered up as a navigator to Mr Denbigh Dog wasn’t to be passed up.
My first visit to Moho and it certainly fitted the bill, a dark basement bar, maybe only holds a couple of hundred, just off Picadilly Gardens, and very soon after we get in (relatively) local opening act DIS are on. On in the sense of there are howling sounds emanating from the thick smoke machine fog pierced by just a candelabra at the front of the stage. Initially the guitar is weak in the mix but once that picks up their raw black metal, not relentless but varied in tempo and structure, is a fearsome onslaught. Especially with the harshest of vocal screams topping it off. They have already built a respected standing for their uncompromising and intense performance and that seems entirely justified by tonight’s show.
Somewhat of a contrast next with Totimoshi, EHG’s touring partners also over from the States, who inform us they’d been over recently with Mastodon too. Interesting, whether they are picked or get themselves the opportunity who knows? Anyway as a three piece they still deliver a pretty heavy sound, mainly due to bassist Meg’s ballsy Rickenbacker sound but the frontman’s guitar is much more jangly at times, with an almost bluesy twang. On the whole there is a garage rock feel to them of maybe a lighter version of the Melvins but between the heavy punishment delivered either side of them they aren’t very striking to me
There’s great anticipation as EHG take to the stage and they are very amiable with the crowd rammed up in front of them on the barrier, the stage is only a foot high or so. So they’re shaking hands and frontman Mike Williams is encouraging chants for weed, skag, crossword puzzles etc. To be fair he does look in better shape than the zombie junkie I saw previously, having gone to the extreme of having Hurricane Katrina assist him in kicking his habit. But saying better does not necessarily mean good, bathed as they are in (dope)sick green stage lights. Eventually after enough banter leaving me wondering if they were milking this to play less songs they eventually give us a while of feedback and then one massive chord strung out…THEN it kicks off and the wait is worthwhile. At times it seems they are just loosely stringing together random riff pieces, a jam on the edge of collapse into noise, short fast blasts of groove between more massive crushing riffs wrenched out on the guitar of NOLA scene mainstay Jimmy Bower. Not complicated, but with a palpable tension, and delivered with seething conviction. For the unfamiliar you could easily reference Sabbath but dragged down into filth, like Ozzy and the boys had screwed some Southern Belle groupie in a ditch somewhere on their US adventures in the ‘70’s. You can see the Ozzy mannerisms in Mike too, the hunched fragility, not I think in an imitation but more as they have both been on the same binges. His vocals are a snarl, while the music is delivered in this closed environment at some of the loudest volume I’ve heard for a while. A lot of their classics are played, gems such as “Sisterfucker”, “Dixie Whisky”, “Jackass”, not necessarily in the order they’re shouted for when asked for requests, and the fierce and cramped mosh sees folks surfing in the 3 foot gap between head height and the ceiling while the complete absence of airconditioning means condensation/sweat/other fluids are literally raining down. I love a party with a happy atmosphere. I think the satisfaction was universal among those there, a visceral experience.