Metal & Prog Picks: September 2016

We’re in the lull before the October onslaught, but there’s still plenty of tasty stuff this month, including Red Fang (clashing annoyingly with The Amorettes) and the very welcome return of The Enid to play In the Region of the Summer Stars in full. Lots more added to the coming soon section too, including Tyketto at the Thekla, Boris at the Fleece and Paul Gilbert at the Marble Factory. And check out those great tour supports: Praying Mantis (remember them, NWOBHM fans?) with Y&T at the Academy, Berlin’s great Kadavar joining Blues Pills at the Marble Factory, and Norway’s Leprous teaming up with Devin Townsend for his show at the Colston Hall.

Black Peaks/Heck

Fleece, Sept 6

Brighton’s Black Peaks are one of a new generation of impressive young bands who manage to get away with playing what is, frankly, heavy prog-metal, although hipsters in their audience probably feel more comfortable calling it something else (y’know – ‘post-rock’, ‘math-rock’, that kind of bollocks). Whatever, much-praised debut album Statues even has a – whisper it – concept running through four of its tracks. They’re well worth investigating if you enjoy the likes of Tool or Mastodon. Support comes from Heck, who used to be called Baby Godzilla until the unamused Toho Corporation sent in the lawyers.

The Enid

Fleece, Sept 22

Making a swift return to Bristol after their theatrical show at the Redgrave Theatre back in March (which, alas, clashed with Amorphis at this very venue), The Enid present a very different performance tonight. The mainstream meeja are the source of much mirth with their hilarious commodification of the 40th anniversary of punk rock. But it’s also the 40th anniversary of The Enid’s magnificent debut album, In the Region of the Summer Stars, which is worthy of a place on anyone’s all-time top ten list. That’s right: four decades ago, The Enid comprehensively out-punked the punks by a raising a polite middle finger to the prevailing conformist Year Zero orthodoxy with 40 glorious minutes of uncompromising symphonic rock. So tonight they’ll be performing it in full. Much has changed in Camp Enid since March too. Founder Robert John Godfrey has been forced to retire from live performance because of Alzheimer’s, while the band’s ace young vocalist Joe Payne – think one part Freddie Mercury to two parts angelic choirboy – has also had to take a leave of absence for health reasons. Good job the mighty In the Region of the Summer Stars is an instrumental, as indeed were all of the band’s early albums.

The Amorettes

Exchange, Sept 28

Stepping up to make their first headline appearance at the Exchange (they supported Danko Jones here last September), impressive young Scottish classic rock trio The Amorettes – that’s siblings Hannah and Heather McKay on drums and bass, plus Gill Montgomery on guitar and vocals – have just released their third album, White Hot Heat. They’ve certainly got some big name supporters. The album was co-produced by Thunder’s Luke Morley, who co-wrote three of the songs. Ricky Warwick of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders also contributed to first single, Let the Neighbours Call the Cops. Support comes from the Love Zombies. They’re fronted by Hollis Mahady, who was in Hey! Hello! with Ginger Wildheart for about ten minutes.

Red Fang

Bierkeller, Sept 28

How best to describe Portland quartet Red Fang to someone who’s never clapped eyes on them? Picture one of those identikit American horror films in which a group of buff, under-dressed college kids get lost on the way to their remote cabin in the woods. When they stop to ask directions at a roadside bar or petrol station, we meet the unkempt, hairy-beardy, beer-swillin’ good ol’ boys who will later do unspeakable things to them. Those guys look exactly like Red Fang. Except, of course, that in real life you couldn’t meet a nicer bunch of chaps. Musically, we’re in precise, riff-driven stoner rock territory, but with a subtle proggy twist that distinguishes them from generic heads-down riffage – rather like a blend of Mastodon with early Queens of the Stone Age, before Josh Homme became the toast of the hipsters and disappeared up his own fundament. Their last Bristol gig was at the Fleece back in June 2013, which was also the band’s UK tour in its entirety and was consequently packed to the rafters. Fourth album Only Ghosts isn’t due out until Oct 14, which seems a bit arse-about-tit as far as this tour is concerned.

Support comes from Miami’s Torche, whose founder Steve Brooks is one of the few openly gay musicians in the stoner/sludge scene. Brooks has said he’d be happy to play Pride events but no one ever asks. “I could see us being back-to-back with some house DJ and everyone running for their lives, covering their ears,” he told one interviewer.

Coming Soon

Here’s our essential diary of upcoming gigs that should be of interest to anyone of a rockin’ disposition.

Akercocke, Fleece, Oct 2

Yob/Black Cobra, Fleece, Oct 7

Ugly Kid Joe, Thekla, Oct 10

Stream of Passion, Bierkeller, Oct 14

Steve Howe, The Lantern, Oct 18

Focus, Tunnels, Oct 19

Lounge Kittens, Exchange, Oct 20

Gun, Thekla, Oct 21

John Carpenter, Colston Hall, Oct 23

((OHHMS)), Fleece, Oct 24

Anvil, Bierkeller, Oct 28

Paul Gilbert, Marble Factory, Nov 2

Saxon/Girlschool/Fastway, O2 Academy, Nov 3

The Skull/Witch Mountain, Exchange, Nov 4

Y&T/Praying Mantis, Academy, Nov 6

Blues Pills/Kadavar, Marble Factory, Nov 8

Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash, Tunnels, Nov 10

Phil Campbell’s All Starr Band, Bierkeller, Nov 10

Cadillac Three, O2 Academy, Nov 11

Lacuna Coil, Marble Factory, Nov 11

Entombed AD/Voivod/Lord Dying, Fleece, Nov 13

Alcest/Mono, Marble Factory, Nov 16

Onslaught, Fleece, Nov 18

Lordi, Bierkeller, Nov 19

Planet of Zeus, Exchange, Nov 26

Lazuli, Fleece, Nov 27

Wolf People, Louisiana, Nov 27

Last In Line/Inglorious, Bierkeller, Nov 27

Black Stone Cherry, Colston Hall, Dec 2

Tyketto, Thekla, Dec 3

Boris, Fleece, Dec 14

Meshuggah, O2 Academy, Jan 12

Devin Townsend Project/TesseracT/Leprous, Colston Hall, March 12

Black Star Riders/Backyard Babies/Gun, O2 Academy, March 16