Live Review: Conan @ The Underworld, Camden, London. 30.10.2014

Yet again I find myself in the Underworld, the dark underbelly of Camden, for another Conan show. What delights await me this time! Nothing but the most disgusting and slow doom of course! It’s been a few months since I've seen Conan, the last time was when they supported the fantastic High on Fire. Bar a new drummer not much has changed for the trio. Their sound was still as heavy as ever and their hoods still haven’t come down.

Part of what makes Conan such a spectacle live, is the fantastic sound. They are a band who absolutely have their sound sorted for this size venue. You can feel the air around you oscillate with electricity each time they strum their guitars. They have such a tight guitar sound that it just feels and sounds like a singular 20 foot guitar being played by a giant.

The low lighting and black hoodies add volume too. The look completes the desolate and bleak musical quality to give you a real trance inducing experience. They are definitely one of the most ‘metal’ bands I've seen live, perfectly matching music to attitude. They don’t need to swing their heads around and jump off the top of amp stacks to get the crown going. All they need to do is scream and look evil!

On to the subject of the new drummer, he is bloody great. He has a real Tryptikon vibe about him with amazing drum rolls and fills. His precision was perfect and execution was spot on. He made great use of cymbals too, not overdoing any aspect of his rhythm keeping.

My only complaint is by the end of the gig I was so deafened, that a gig I went to the day after was slightly ruined (this may be a sign that my hearing is ruined in general now however). As with the last few gig’s I've been to at the Underworld, the room is so reflective that you just feel ruined after. Time to invest in some ear plugs I think!

To anyone who has noticed a Conan gig coming up soon in their local area but is undecided about going, take it from me, these guys rule. You’ll be hard pressed to find such an atmospheric power trio who can suck you in and spit you out with such ferocity! Thanks for reading y’all!

Words by: Asher G. Alexander

Live Review: HARK, Conan, High On Fire. The Camden Underworld, London, UK 09/08/2014

The night is heavy with anticipation. A sold out show at the Underworld Camden means absolute madness in most cases and this is no exception. Stopping off in London for a special one off show, High On Fire take on one of Camden’s most intimate venues for an evening of audible delight and beer fuelled debauchery. Starting off the evening as it means to go on, Welsh sludgers HARK bought the noise as they powered through a heavy, technical set. Destructive vocals and powerful riffs were on the menu tonight, but unfortunately their sound may have been just too brutal for the venue as a bit of the technicality they manage so well on record was lost to the highly reflective Underworld. A fantastic performance with lots of energy however completely made up for this, as did their signing of a super sweet trans-orange 7" for me. Cheers lads, I’ll be sure to catch you again!

Next up, the show was slowed down 300% as doom monoliths Conan took to the stage. Drawn out phrases of earth shattering distortion laid down by Liverpool's finest absolutely demolished my expectations (in a positive way). I found great pleasure in pressing my back up against the rear wall of the venue to feel the oscillating of those beautiful MATAMP's working, my whole body vibrating to the crazy thunder of guitar and bass. Conan have that beautiful quality of their name being an accurate description of their sound. Almost like an onomatopoeia, just saying their name conjures images of desolation and brutality, an perfect representation of their sound.

After a short change over, finally Oakland’s premier power trio were on. At this point I had drank enough beer to sedate a rhino, while trying to stand on a practically broken ankle, so I couldn't go as mental as the music demanded of me. Rocking a sweet Lemmy style handlebar moustache, guitar legend Matt Pike announced the first song to an instantaneous explosion of energy. The crowd erupted into a frenzied mosh of bodies as the aptly named 'Fury Whip' whipped up a fury! This music just fills you with exuberance, every fibre of your being tingling with excitement and the need to move. Powering on, riff after riff, something occurred to me. This may just be an opinion but having seen Motorhead fairly recently, High On Fire really feel like what they could have been if they formed (nearly) 25 years later. It's the whole vibe of the music and the relentless rock and roll attitude, or maybe it was just the tache that made me think it! Their sound was great too, with great clarity and balance to the EQ. Songs like the closer 'Snakes For The Divine'  where emotive journeys through metal making the camaraderie and kinship of music palpable as friends and strangers alike banded together for the love of one of metals finest bands. As the show drew to a close, the lack of encore left a slightly anti climactic feeling in the air, something that only another High on Fire show could cure! I can't wait until next time.

Check the set list bellow and sound out about how jealous you are that you missed it! Thanks for reading Y'all!

1.Fury Whip
2.Fertile Green
3.Madness of an Architect
4.Comets Down Hessian
5.Frost Hammer
6.Baghdad
7.Devilution
8.Serums Of Liao
9.Rumours Of War
10.Surrounded By Thieves
11.Snakes For The Divine

Words by: Asher G. Alexander

Live Review : Astrohenge, Manatees, Erlen Meyer, Light Bearer, Camden Underworld, UK, 10/11/2013

It was a particularly wet and unforgiving Sunday night in the capital, but with UK DIY Post-Metal heroes Light Bearer making a rare UK headlining appearance, the promise of new and currently unreleased Manatees tracks and the chance to catch Astrohenge on home turf, this show was not to be missed. 

Due to leaving work and arriving with just enough time to grab some well-earned falafel and lager, we unfortunately missed opener In the Hills, arriving just in time for Astrohenge to kick the night off proper.

Having never seen Astrohenge in the live setting before, but knowing of various members involvement in Necro Deathmort and Yards, anticipation was high. The band knocked out a variety of Mr Bungle meets Mastodon riff histrionics in front a small but interested crowd. The set was peppered with enough atmospheric moments to captivate fans of all the other bands, but also delivered a keen sense of fun with circus stylled, odd-time signature riffing that started the night off in fantastic style, especially on a rainy Sunday night such as this.

Next up were Manatees, who although headlining the rest of the tour played third out of five tonight. Last time I saw Manatees was at the Camden Unicorn some years ago, and at that time they were searching for a new home to release their 3^rd album, Helvellyn. Tonight, playing mostly cuts off of the new record, Manatees were on fire, their legendary volume and atmospherics providing a stunning account of what is to come with album number 3. A faster, almost hardcore influenced track broke out mid set worked perfectly in its placement, offering a lively alternative to the usual stunning sludge melodicism’s, and the eerie Queens of the Stone Age meets krautrock ending was both pummelling and surprising in its groove. Without a doubt *shelsmusic have made a fantastic choice letting this long awaited record see the light of day in early 2014.



Having been non-plussed with Erlen Meyers debut released this year, we decided to watch the French bands set from the balcony. With what appeared to be a giant widescreen television stage left displaying artwork of varying degrees of hopelessness and an impassioned performance they captivated a large portion of the crowd, although this reviewer was left unfulfilled, feeling that they are, in the flesh as on record, Will-Haven-lite with just a little too much monotony to find truly captivating. With more work on varying the elements of their tracks however, I’m sure Erlen Meyer could become a truly great force in metal.

Next up were Light Bearer who I’ve been fortunate enough to see twice in London this year (the first at their Silver Tongue release at the Urban Bar). Not often making UK appearances due to geographically scattered members and with the promise of a far higher sound quality than the Urban Bar, a sizeable crowd stood awaiting the coming onslaught.

On record, Light Bearers mammoth albums often top 60-70 minutes, filled with lush orchestration and long ambient/noise interludes that wonderfully set up each track and offer rest bite from the emotion fuelled sludge pummelling. Live is a different set-up for the band,  with only a short time to fill and with lengthy songs, the band go for the jugular. Whilst recorded material is often close to Post-Metal, live the band breath an impassioned post-hardcore air, as close to crust and hardcore in its delivery as it is to Cult of Luna’s atmospheric restraint.

Airing material from both their debut Lapsus and this years’ Silver Tongue the band traverse the quiet and serene moments of the albums and also the glorious post-metal riffage they are perhaps better known for. The band seems to escape the pitfalls of bringing their highly conceptual recordings to the live stage by offering an all-encompassing performance full of dedication, atmosphere and ultimately joy.

Massive props to *shelsmusic and Patrice at the Underworld for such a rad Sunday evening. Be sure to check all these bands recorded material and support your local scenes.

Words : Richard Powley

Photos : Yvonne Schirmer

For more information :

https://www.facebook.com/astrohenge
https://www.facebook.com/manatees.uk
https://www.facebook.com/ErlenMeyerBand
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Light-Bearer/170210949664188