Music / Previews
Metal & Prog Picks: May 2018
First things first: whoever is responsible for booking Sons of Apollo on the same night as Halestorm in September needs to be shot. We’ve got two big ‘uns this month: Machine Head at the Academy and the Britrock Must Be Destroyed tour at Motion. Both of these are likely to sell out very shortly, if they haven’t done so already. Elsewhere, there are plenty of smaller bands at venues across the city who are well worth a look, whether your taste is for doom (Conan, The Obsessed), prog (Toundra) or black metal (Wiegedood). Oh, and check out that intriguing Gong tribute at the Cube.
https://youtu.be/ipUXXdeYc7c
is needed now More than ever
Fleece, May 3
On paper they’re an odd match, but the Athenian groove metallers and Maryland beardies clearly had a ball on the 2014 Lords of the Riff tour so they’re back together for this co-headliner. Chums of Clutch, Lionize are unusual in the hard-rockin’ world for having something of a reggae fixation. Indeed, they claim influences ranging from Bad Brains to Deep Purple and Funkadelic. That seems pretty all-encompassing, but is actually a fair reflection of their music, which has been known to turn on a sixpence from hard rock to dub reggae wig-out. New album Nuclear Soul is out now. Greece has given us a handful of great bands (Aphrodite’s Child, Firewind, Rotting Christ, er, that’s it) but none are quite as much fun as Planet of Zeus, who also enjoy a Clutch connection, having supported them at the Academy back in 2015. When moustachioed frontman Babis Papanikolaou demands “Let’s do the dancing thing!” you’d better be prepared to do just that.
Exchange, May 6
Blimey, Wino really can’t keep away from Bristol, can he? Last seen at the Exchange with Saint Vitus back in October, the gnarly underground metal legend was once deported from Norway, shortly after a show at the Fleece, for being found in possession of enough methamphetamine to fell an elephant. Anyhoo, now he’s back, hot from Desertfest, with his original proto-doom trio The Obsessed, who formed in 1980 and are currently on their third reunion. I say ‘reunion’ but it’s actually just Wino with two new chaps. Sacred, their first album in 23 years, has been well received and is something of a must for anyone interested in doom’s deep roots in old-skool blues rock.
Thekla, May 14
Has there ever been a more enticing prospect than “caveman battle doom”? (That’s a rhetorical question.) Conan were mysteriously adopted by the hipster crowd at one point, but hopefully the beard oil brigade’s brief flirtation is over now. The Scouse trio’s fourth album, Existential Void Guardian, isn’t out until August, but they’ll be bringing the doom to herald the arrival of summer (TBC) anyway.
Their touring partners this time are impressive Swedish psychedelic doomsters Monolord whose ‘evil cat’ T-shirt must rank as the most covetable item of merch in all of metal.
Exchange, May 14
Spanish prog? You’d better believe it. The Spanish love their progressive rock. Indeed, Barcelona plays host to the annual Be Prog! My Friend outdoor festival in the Poble Espanyol, which attracts proggers from far and wide. Their homegrown bands haven’t made much international impact, though that could change with Madrid instrumentalists Toundra, whose fourth album – and first major label release – IV entered the Spanish charts at number two. The new one, Vortex, is just out on Inside Out and holds plenty of appeal to those who enjoy the band’s musical fellow travellers Long Distance Calling. Oh, and you can always describe them as ‘post-rock’ rather than ‘prog’ if you’re daft enough to be concerned about appearing cool.
O2 Academy, May 15
…or Machinefuckinhead, as they’re more popularly known. Always a great live band, Robb Flynn’s Oakland bruisers have been somewhat less consistent on record. After that brilliantly ferocious 1994 debut, Burn My Eyes, they lost their way with what critics saw as feeble trend-chasing (rapping, nu-metal, etc) but which Flynn and co defended as a desire to experiment and broaden their sound. Unexpectedly, Machine Head recovered their mojo in spectacular style with 2007’s The Blackening (later pronounced Metal Hammer‘s Album of the Decade), after which they went on tour with Metallica for, like, ever. In 2013, founding bassist Adam Duce departed in a flurry of lawsuits, but the subsequent Bloodstone and Diamonds album continued the band’s purple patch. Alas, fan-dividing latest release Catharsis has received decidedly mixed reviews as Flynn once again embraces hip-hop on his journey into a brave new world of sonic experimentation/career-destroying cul de sac (delete according to taste).
Gong Tribute: Camembert Electrique Reworked
Cube, May 19
“You can’t kill me,” sang the late Bert Camembert (aka Daevid Allen) on Gong’s splendid 1971 album Camembert Electrique, which Richard Branson cannily re-released for a princely 59p three years later. Alas, the progressive, psychedelic prankster proved incorrect, as the Reaper claimed him back in 2015 at the age of 77. Normally, we wouldn’t include tribute acts here, but this promises to be rather more interesting than the usual low-budget impersonations. Musicians from Bristol bands Asteroid Deluxe and Fantasy Orchestra are joining forces with regulars from the Cube Orchestra for a full performance of the album, followed by a ‘Gliss Orchestra’ of eight glissando guitars unison. Should be a treat for anyone who’s, uh, Bin Stone Before.
Louisiana, May 20
Black metal from the Belgian Church of Ra, featuring members of Oathbreaker and Amenra. They’ve released three albums all with the same title, De Doden Hebben Het Goed (‘The Dead Have It Good’), each of which has just four lengthy songs. It’s all relentlessly bleak and extreme with not a great deal of variation, but De Doden Hebben Het Goed III has seen Wiegedood move up to the Century Media label after releasing the first two albums independently. That’s succeeded in raising their profile, but may carry a cred cost among the snooty underground.
The Wildhearts/Reef/Terrorvision
Motion, May 25
Britrock Must Be Destroyed is the tongue-in-cheek title of this package tour bringing together three bands who were chart regulars in the ’90s (plus, er, opening act Dodgy, who seem like a bit of an odd fit). The line-up rotates every night, so we’ve no idea at this stage who’ll be headlining the Bristol leg. But it sure is proving to be popular, having been upgraded from the Marble Factory to Motion. And as modest Ginger Wildheart has been quick to point out, one of these acts stands head and shoulders above the others. “We are honoured to be a part of this legendary tour,” he remarked in the publicity blurb. “Mainly because it means that we’re still alive, but also because it gives us a chance to prove that we were always the best band of this whole bunch.” Trivia note: this will be our first opportunity to see the re-formed original line-up with bassist Danny McCormack, who had a leg amputated following an aneurysm a few years ago.
Crofters Rights, May 25
If you can bear to spend an evening on Stokes Croft, these Yorkshire rockers could be worth a look, especially as they boast the endorsement of Skindred’s Benji Webbe (that’s him in the video for In My Mind, above). Support comes from Bristol’s very own Flowerpot.
Exchange, May 27
You might have expected Amplifier to be much bigger by now, given their winning, intelligent blend of prog and space-rock. But for some reason it doesn’t seem to be happening for the Mancunian four-piece. Still, as one of rock’s best-kept secrets they’ve always had a great relationship with Bristol and even released their previous show here as a live album – yep, Live at the Exchange. They’ve invited punters to choose the set list for this tour, so we can presumably expect plenty of obscure tracks and rarities. This gig was rescheduled from May.
COMING SOON
Here’s our essential diary of upcoming gigs that should be of interest to anyone of a rockin’ disposition.
John Coghlan’s Quo, Exchange, June 8
Karma to Burn, Exchange, June 20
Richie Kotzen, Thekla, June 24
The Sheepdogs, Fleece, June 26
Bongzilla/Dopethrone, Fleece, June 27
Ministry/Chelsea Wolfe, SWX, July 25
Skid Row, Academy, Aug 20
Camel, The Forum, Bath, Sept 11
Halestorm, O2 Academy, Sept 29
Sons of Apollo, SWX, Sept 29
Glenn Hughes, O2 Academy, Oct 2
Evil Scarecrow, Marble Factory, Oct 11
Blackberry Smoke, O2 Academy, Nov 11
Hawkwind, The Forum, Bath, Nov 24
The New Roses, Louisiana, Nov 27
Clutch, O2 Academy, Dec 18
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