BAND PROFILE: Crushing noisecore crew Canvas reform for one-off Ritual Festival appearance

By: Andy Price

 

Picture the scene… it is 1999, record stores still exist in a real way, everyone was very excited about the Y2K bug, and I was a gangly and uncoordinated youth working a shitty temp job in Nottingham. This was great because it meant I could go walk into the town at lunchtime, go to Selectadisc, my favourite record store, and spend the tiny amount of cash I was making on awesome music.

So, back in ’99, I was finding my way in extreme music. Like a blind man at an orgy, I was carefully feeling my way. I’d done the Nu-metal thing (I’m not ashamed. Well, I’m a bit ashamed), and had pushed into more extreme waters, albeit mostly still pretty mainstream ones. Fear Factory, Machine Head et al were lighting my candle, but not quite fulfilling me. I’d formed a friendship with one of the owners of the store and then one fateful Wednesday lunchtime he beckoned me over and placed a CD in my hand saying ‘Andy, you’ll like this. Trust me. Give it a listen and if you like it, you can pay me then. If not, no harm, no foul’. That album was the self-titled early retrospective by Canvas. I put the CD on for the walk back to work but never made it back; I got half way there, turned around and went and paid the man. The album was a revelation, a desperate, urgent, strangled scream from the underground; a mangled noise of instruments that made no sense and yet also made perfect sense. It was absolutely beautiful in its twisted rage.

I never looked back; I picked up the two splits that followed, even the 7”, despite not having a record player. I bought the follow up album, the masterpiece ‘Lost in Rock’ on the day of its release, and revelled in it. Canvas opened my eyes to the underground; both in terms of metal and hardcore. They are the gateway that got me to Converge, Botch, The Dillinger Escape Plan and significantly my eyes were opened to the UK underground, and bands like John Holmes, Medulla Nocte, Iron Monkey and Hard to Swallow… I devoured all of this music mercilessly; it influenced me massively and still does. I can honestly say that without that first Canvas record, I may never have found the music that I know and love today. 

This is one of the reasons why Canvas were important; they started out in that hardcore scene and bridged the gap between metal and hardcore, and kind of opened up everything, especially when they started picking up real media coverage. They were important because they led hardcore kids to metal and vice versa; they are important now because their recordings are seminal. They feel as fresh, exhilarating and powerful as ever, with a level of invention that is still staggering, especially on ‘Lost in Rock’. In hindsight that record started shaping my love for diverse and technical music like Meshuggah; just listen to the groove and dizzying rhythms of the opening track and you’ll see what I mean. If the band had been able to hold it together a little longer, that record would have been huge, and might have helped them break out of the scene they found themselves in. As it was it seemed to sink a little, almost without trace, which is criminal. It’s a labyrinthine and almost uncomfortable listen, but thoroughly compelling and a constant well-spring of inspiration.


It was not long after Canvas split up that I started playing music, and looking back even my earliest bands reflect the influence that Canvas exerted on me, albeit filtered through the prism of the other musicians I worked with, and my own lack of ability. Experimentation, a lack of compromise in sound and wilful abuse of time-signatures were a good example of this; that has never left me and is still very much part of the sound that I bring to Conjurer.


To say that I’m excited that Canvas have come back together for Ritual Festival in Leeds is a massive understatement. Canvas are in the shortlist of bands that I really have never stopped listening to since I bought their records. Some bands fall in and out of favour as tastes change, but that never happened to Canvas. I only caught the band live once, at a show in London at the Water Rats for the “Lost in Rock” release show but it’s a show that still lives in my memory in terms of the sheer chaos of their live aspect. In hindsight, the setlist was perfect although I didn’t know much of the new material that well. The crowd were up for movement and the band were on fire. It’s in the list in my head of formative gig experiences that influences the way that I play live, along with shows by The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Chariot; the energy and, for the want of a better word, the sheer fearlessness of their performance was exhilarating, and I’ve always used that as a template for what I want to bring to the stage.


I’m excited to see how 15 years has tempered the band and their performance; we’re all older and creakier, but the level of experience on that stage now is fantastic. I’m used to the records now too; I expect the live experience to be heavier and darker. That we get to share a stage with them is mind-blowing to me, I’m so excited to be playing the same bill as them. I’d love to see them do more shows, although I’d completely understand if they want to keep it as a one-off. I think that there’s a whole generation of music fans that should hear these songs; especially given that so much of the hardcore / post-hardcore scenes have converged onto some of the same ground that Canvas stamped down back in the day. I hear traces of the Canvas sound in other bands that are around today; chaotic rhythms, progression and naked experimentation has become far more normal. While we’re making a wish list though, I’d like some merchandise and if we’re really shooting for the stars, a pressing of some kind of discography on vinyl. Chaps, if you’re reading this, make it happen please!


I’d be fascinated to hear new music from this line-up too, but I suspect that might be too much to ask for.  I’ve been sharing about my love of the music the band created since the announcement – I’ve had a lot of people ask questions about where to start with the band. Obviously the answer is ‘all of it’ – especially since the band have been good enough to put their back catalogue up for free download on their bandcamp. That said though, ‘Womb Plague’ from the split with Hard To Swallow is an excellent place to start, or ‘Black Shape of the Nexus’ – both versions of that are great but I love the intro of the version from ‘Lost in Rock’. ‘Unworthy of Perfection’ is great too, all grinding rhythms and brutal vocals. I give up on trying to narrow this down; just go and get the whole lot. Your MP3 player and your ears will thank you for it.

The funny thing is that at the time I didn’t really pay attention to individuals in the band – I was never really that interested in musicians at that time, that’s only come after I started playing music myself – and it’s been surprising to find that I’ve actively followed some of the bands that some of the members created after Canvas ended, including Humanfly, Kings and Amplifighters; I’ve spent time with John and Albert, and Paul across various shows and events. Someone actually had to point out that the Sutcliffe brothers were the same ones that drove my favourite underground band; I nearly fell off my proverbial chair. I have only mildly fan-boyed since. Well, probably a bit more than mildly, but I think I got away with it

In the summer of this year I got the logo for the band tattooed on my leg. Partly this stemmed from a conversation with Dan from OHHMS – he’s a big fan as well and got the same tattoo in the same session. We were playing a show together in Leeds and had gotten talking about Canvas, what the band meant and how much they had inspired us – it seemed a natural conclusion at the time. For me, the tattoo serves as a reminder of how I should strive to create with music, to plough a musical furrow that interests me, but also that I should not hold anything back. These are the lessons I’ve taken, and this is the reason that Canvas remain special and a massive inspiration to me.

No pressure lads.

The Canvas discography is up on bandcamp as pay what you want/free here and Ritual Festival tickets are still up for grabs here with the full line up of the festival included below. 

The Sludgelord Presents: Riff Fest, August 29th @ The Alma Inn, Bolton (UK)

“With Riff Fest every band has been booked because we love them and believe in them. As long as the band has got a heavy, catchy riff then it’s cool. I’m very keen to stress, that all these bands could headline the event in our eyes.” – Adam Swarbrick

It’s a Sunday evening and, with a belly fun of ale, lager or whatever devilish nectar is your poison, the friendly debates shift into gear. Enthusiastic shouts of ‘that’s the best riff ever’ and ‘why aren’t that band bigger than they are, their new EP is killer’ and so on reverberate in the pub as dusk draws in.

We all love heavy music and the encompassing scene – indeed, the fact you are even reading this solidifies that notion – but for Adam Swarbick and Jim MacGranthin, the general manager of Bolton’s metallic watering hole The Alma Inn, love wasn’t enough:

“We were sat in the pub talking about the bands we love, great gigs, riffs and so on, as I’m sure we all do. I remember thinking ‘dude, let’s put everything we can into putting on the best show we can’. We planned the first Riff Fest [in 2014] about 9 months in advance, the idea being we’d have more chance of securing all the bands we wanted, being so far in advance. So we got to work, got a pen and paper, and wrote down all our favourite bands from across the UK, fortunately everyone said yes!”

Now preparing to launch its second edition of the festival – a free entry one-dayer featuring some heavy arse and frankly brilliant bands – the event can build on recent success seen around the country. From Desertfest’s continual growth and expansion to Red Sun in Cardiff, Yorkshire Riffer in Leeds and beyond, the scene is in absolute rude health right now. With a large contingent of this year’s line up being local to Manchester and the North West – Ten Foot Wizard, Nomad, Boss Keloid, Eyesaw, Pist, Barbarian Hermit, Mower, Arke & The Hicks – it promises to be a celebration of our area’s finest bludgeonings. That is, of course, alongside the unapologetic stomp of Gurt, Slabdragger and Raging Speedhorn, Trippy Wicked’s…erm…trippy wickedness and more.

So, with such a great line up, why are we allowed in for fuck all?

“I get asked a lot about this,” explains Swarbrick. “It was one of the first things we discussed, it being free. Unfortunately, myself and Jim have, in the past worked really hard to bring good bands here. Depressingly we realised a lot of folk were put off by a meagre entrance fee. So we thought, ‘fuck it! We’ll do it free’ so as to give people no excuse not to attend. We’re very keen on Riff Fest having a party vibe. I think all attendee’s from last year can attest to that. It was utterly rammed.

“The North West has always been a very active hive of great, passionate, hard-working bands. We will always keep local bands on. It’s so important to give the local bands a platform to display themselves on. Mower were first on last year, a relatively new band then. A year on and a lot of people are talking about them and rightly so.”

On the current blossoming of ‘stoner/doom’ festivals across the UK, Adam was quick to wax lyrical about the latest of these, Red Sun. “Red Sun blew me away and I made sure to personally congratulate the guys. They’d worked so hard on creating an independent festival. They succeeded.

“The scene is in good shape, although I must admit personally, I’m not a fan of the term ‘stoner/doom’, I think it covers such a broad spectrum now. In fact I think that’s why we called it something as simple as ‘Riff Fest’ rather than something more specific. As long as the band has got a heavy, catchy riff then it’s cool. We really wanted to book this solo artist on a steel guitar with a slide last year, so we’re quite open to bands style’s when booking. There really is a good support now; it doesn’t seem to be a flash in the pan either, which is obviously great. As long as we all (bands, fans, promoters) keep the faith, we’ll be here for a long time yet.

Obviously, from the punter/media angle, we only see the glory; the beers, the belting bands and the unforgettable, albeit blurry, memories. So what are the biggest challenges of putting on an event like Riff Fest?

“Easy. The running order! Sometimes you go to a gig, and let’s face it, sometimes bands are billed in terms of popularity/how well established they are/how ‘good’ they are. With Riff Fest every band has been booked because we love them and believe in them. I’m very keen to stress, that all these bands could headline the event in our eyes.

And finally, what are the biggest rewards and personally, who are you most looking forward to about this year's event?

“It sounds cheesy, but simply everyone having a great time. It’s coming up 12 months since the last one, people still say ‘dude that was the best day of last year.’ Many people still talk about it, and also how excited they are for this year’s. So that’s all the reward we could ask for.

“Just look at the line-up, it’s gold!”

Words: Phil Weller

For more information:

Facebook event - https://www.facebook.com/events/1544541289134935/

The Sludgelord News: No Fun Intended Weekender

Here's the poster showing the latest line-up for the - No Fun Intended Weekender.

Facebook Event Information

This maybe on the same weekend as London Desertfest weekend but the organisers are doing a bit of a northern alternative across all genres of metal - including a load of sludge and doom in the form of Noothgrush, Undersmile, Sunwolf, Formes, Dismal and more. Check it out.